The air quality in Delhi fell to the ‘Very Poor’ category on October 23 with the Air Quality Index (AQI) at 306.
Stage II or the ‘very poor’ stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) will set in across Delhi-NCR with immediate effect.
Stage I of GRAP was imposed across Delhi-NCR on October 6.
The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is a set of anti-air pollution measures, generally implemented in Delhi-NCR during the winter.
Under GRAP, the government introduces several measures.
It includes strict restrictions on the plying of obsolete vehicles and a ban on the use of coal and firewood in eateries, restaurants and hotels when the AQI breaches the 200-mark.
Four different stages of GRAP.
Stage 1 comes into implementation during ‘poor’ AQI (201-300);
Stage 2 during ‘very poor’ AQI (301-400);
Stage 3 during ‘severe’ AQI (401-450); and
Stage 4 during ‘severe plus’ when AQI is over 450.