Delhi’s air quality showed a downward trend for the fourth straight day, with the city recording an average AQI of 327 Wednesday down from 353 a day earlier, prompting the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to revoke Stage-III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across the National Capital Region (NCR) with immediate effect.
Stage-III, which includes hybrid learning for students up to Class 6, work-from-home for private and government offices operating at 50 per cent strength, and the suspension of non-essential construction, stone crushers, and mining activities, was invoked on November 11 after Delhi’s Air Quality Index breached the 400 mark.
In its order, the CAQM sub-committee said AQI has been “improving since the last three days” and is forecast to remain in the ‘very poor’ category in the coming days by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM). Considering the “disruptive nature of restrictions under Stage-III”, and the downward trend in pollution levels, the panel decided to withdraw the curbs.
At the same time, the panel stressed that all actions under GRAP Stages II and I will remain in force as per the modified schedule issued on November 21, adding that agencies must “intensify measures” to ensure pollution levels do not slip back into the ‘Severe’ range.
Construction and demolition sites that were individually shut for violations “shall under no circumstances resume their operations without any specific order” from the Commission, the order said.
The sub-committee added that it will “keep a close watch” on the air quality scenario and review the situation based on IMD/IITM forecasts.
Delhi Environment Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, “As per the CAQM order, the GRAP-III restrictions in Delhi have now been lifted, and GRAP-2 is in effect in the capital. Under this, the 50 per cent work-from-home arrangement in offices has been discontinued, and the hybrid mode currently running in schools has also been shut down.”
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MCD status report
Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) submitted its status report to the National Green Tribunal on Wednesday, listing the measures taken to control air pollution in the Capital.
While the civic body has a fleet of 52 mechanical sweepers that cover around 3,000 km of road, the major arterial roads of Delhi are maintained by the Public Works Department (PWD).
The body has also deployed MCD 167 water sprinklers/jetting machines, and 28 mobile anti-smog guns (ASGs) on various roads to reduce dust pollution. “The frequency of water sprinklers deployment has been increased in the hotspots area as per the various stages of GRAP,” the civic body stated.
For manual sweeping of roads, 57,500 MCD sanitation workers are working, cleaning around 6,130 km of road, which is done twice in commercial and market spaces.
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The report states that, as per the direction of CAQM, a ‘Dust Control and Management Cell (DCMC)’ has been constituted to monitor activities related to controlling air pollution, and a monthly report is being sent to the Department of Environment, GNCTD.
Meanwhile, the report lists the various bulk challans issued by the civic body since January 2025 till November 15 of this year. Surveillance teams constituted to check open burning and illegal C&D waste dumping have issued challans of Rs. 5.8 lakhs and Rs. 3,53,10,000 respectively.
Additionally, the civic body said that special attention is being given to the 13 identified pollution hotspots, where inter-coordination among various departments, such as Delhi Development Authority, PWD, Delhi Traffic Police, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, Irrigation and Flood Control Department, Delhi Jal Board, and Delhi Police, is taking place to curb pollution.
