GRAP-3 Restrictions Back In Delhi-NCR, Hybrid Mode For Up To Class 5

GRAP-III recommendations have been reimposed across Delhi and the national capital region following "highly unfavourable meteorological conditions, including calm winds and very low mixing height", the Commission for Air Quality Management said Monday afternoon.

Under GRAP-III, all schools in Delhi-NCR must switch to a hybrid class mode for students till Class V, and there will be restrictions on the entry of diesel-powered commercial vehicles.

Goods vehicles with engines below the BS-IV certification cannot run, except for those used for emergency purposes or to provide essential services, and goods carriers registered outside the national capital cannot, till further notice, enter the city if their engine is below the BS-IV mark.

At 2.30 pm the city's AQI was 366, which is in the higher end of the 'very poor' category. This is a sharp spike from seven days ago; on December 7 it 233, which classified it as 'moderate'.

And, three days before that, Delhi's AQI was at 211.

The improvement in air quality meant the Supreme Court, on December 5, allowed the CAQM to relax anti-pollution measures from GRAP-IV, the strictest of a four-stage Graded Response Action Plan meant to tackle deteriorating air pollution in the national capital region.

Last month the air quality in Delhi and the surrounding areas was consistently in the 'severe' and 'very poor' category, prompting annual health warnings from medical professionals and triggering a rush of cases before the Supreme Court asking for directions to the government.