The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Friday, November 6 invoked Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi and the National Capital Region as a precautionary measure, two days before Diwali, as the capital's air quality hovered close to the severe category. The CAQM Sub-Committee on GRAP announced the decision in a post on X, saying the stricter curbs were being brought in to stop the air from deteriorating further.

Source: The Hindu BusinessLine

Delhi's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 382 at 4 pm on Friday on the CAQM dashboard, in the 'very poor' category, up from 369 a day earlier, and several monitoring stations were already in the severe zone. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) put the city average at 389 at 8 am.

Source: NewsPlainly (Indian Express / CPCB data)

382Delhi AQI at 4 pm, Nov 6 (CAQM)
474Highest station AQI — IIT Delhi and Rohini
401–450AQI band for GRAP Stage III (severe)
Nov 8Diwali, two days after the curbs

What Stage III bans

Under Stage III, there is a strict ban on non-essential construction and demolition work across Delhi-NCR, including earthwork, piling, trenching and open-air operations of ready-mix concrete plants. Light motor vehicles running on BS-III petrol or BS-IV diesel, or older standards, are barred in Delhi and in the NCR districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida) and Sonipat, and inter-state diesel buses entering or operating in Delhi are restricted. The measures under Stage I and Stage II remain in force alongside the new curbs.

Source: Bilkul Online (CAQM order)

Reports also said classes for primary-school children would move to a hybrid mode under the new stage, as authorities tried to cut exposure for the youngest residents while the festival weekend approaches.

Source: NewsPlainly (Hindustan Times / Indian Express reports)

Forecast: severe air over the Diwali weekend

The India Meteorological Department's air quality bulletin issued at 1:30 pm on Friday said Delhi's air was likely to stay 'very poor' on November 6 and turn 'severe' during November 7 to 9, covering the Diwali weekend. CAQM had invoked Stage I curbs on October 21 and Stage II on November 2, and said it acted early this time as a precaution rather than waiting for the city average to cross 400.

Source: The Hindu BusinessLine (IMD bulletin)

Earlier on Friday, the Supreme Court, hearing its suo motu case on Delhi-NCR air pollution, had observed that the AQI was already touching 400 and flagged vehicular emissions as a major contributor — a hearing covered separately by Awaaz Punjab. With Stage III now in force, enforcement teams across Delhi and the five NCR districts are expected to check construction sites and vehicle movement through the weekend.

Source: Daily Jagran