Delhi GRAP-1 Rules Explained: With air quality in Delhi-NCR deteriorating to the “Poor” category, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has invoked Stage I of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) with effect from Wednesday (October 21).

The decision was based on a review of the air quality scenario and forecasts for meteorological conditions.

Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI), which stood at 179 in the ‘Moderate’ category on October 20, rose sharply to 244 at 2 pm on October 21, the CAQM said.

The official notification said the AQI is expected to remain in the ‘Poor’ category in the coming days.

GRAP is a set of emergency measures that kick in to prevent further deterioration of air quality once it reaches, or is forecast to reach a certain threshold in the Delhi-NCR region.

Following Supreme Court directions in December 2016, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change notified the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) on January 12, 2017, assigning its implementation to the…