GRAP to be Enforced in Delhi-NCR | 15 Oct 2018

Environmental Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) will implement an emergency action plan in Delhi to tackle rising air pollution.

  • The emergency plan is called the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
  • Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) was prepared by the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEFCC) after the order of Supreme Court of December 2016.
  • GRAP includes the measures which will be taken by different government agencies to prevent worsening of Air Quality of Delhi-NCR (National Capital Region) and prevent PM10 and PM2.5 levels to go beyond ‘moderate’ national Air Quality Index (AQI) category.
  • The EPCA is mandated to enforce the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in the city as per the pollution levels.

Types of measures under Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP):

  • Measures to be taken are divided into different categories based on the Pollution level:
Category Ambient Particulate Matter (PM) Concentration Measures
Moderate to Poor
  • PM 2.5 between 61-120 µg/m3 
  • PM10 between 101-350 µg/m3 
  • Enforce pollution control in thermal power plants
  • Mechanized sweeping on roads
  • Ban on firecrackers
  • Stop garbage burning
Very Poor
  • PM2.5 between 121-250µg/m3 
  • PM10 between 351-430 µg/m3 
  • Stop use of diesel generator sets
  • Increase bus and metro services and increasing frequency of metro service
  • Stop use of coal/firewood in hotels and open eateries
Severe
  • PM2.5 more than 250µg/m3 
  • PM10 more than 430µg/m3 
  • Increase frequency of mechanized sweeping of road and sprinkling of water on roads
  • Close brick kilns, Hot Mix plants, Stone Crushers
  • Shut down Badarpur power plant
  • Introduce concessional rates to encourage off-peak travel in public transport.
Severe+ or Emergency
  • PM2.5 of or more than 300µg/m3
  • PM10 of or 500µg/m3 
(persist for 48 hours or more)
  • Stop entry of diesel trucks into Delhi (except essential commodities)
  • Stop construction activities
  • Introduce odd and even scheme
  • Shutting of schools

National Air Quality Index (AQI)
  • National Air Quality Index (AQI) is under the aegis of the CPCB.
  • AQI has been developed to inform people about the level of eight pollutants— PM2.5, PM10, Ammonia, Lead, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, ozone, and carbon monoxide.