AQI in Delhi-NCR has breached the 350 mark, but revised GRAP norms moved many Stage-3 measures into Stage-2 — so authorities have kept the trigger higher. Here’s what changed, why experts are worried and what Delhi residents should expect.
Experts Warn of Health Risks as AQI Stays Above 350
Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) alarm sounded again as readings crossed 350 on November 8, pushing health warnings into the “very poor” and near-“severe” band. Yet, unlike last year, full GRAP-3 (Stage 3) emergency measures were not immediately invoked — a difference that has left residents and activists puzzled. The revised Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), updated after a Supreme Court suggestion in 2024, shifted a number of stringent controls that previously sat in Stage 3 into Stage 2, meaning many hard measures are already in force under the lower stage.
In practical terms this year, Stage 2 now includes actions such as daily mechanical sweeping and water-sprinkling, restrictions on diesel generators across sectors, additional public transport services and limitations on polluting inter-state buses entering Delhi. Because those controls were moved down, the Central Air Quality Management Committee (CAQM) decided to retain original AQI thresholds for Stage 3 and 4 — effectively keeping Stage 3 at 400 and Stage 4 at 450 — even though the Supreme Court had earlier suggested lower thresholds.
Critics say the approach is passive and reactive: by the time an area hits “severe,” residents have already endured prolonged exposure to harmful PM2.5 and other pollutants. Air-quality experts quoted in the report urged a forecast-led preventative stance, arguing that forecasts should prompt pre-emptive measures to stop AQI from reaching the 350 mark in the first place.
