GRAP explained
The Graded Response Action Plan is Delhi NCR's emergency playbook for bad air. What each stage means, what changes for households and schools, and where to check the stage in force.
The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is a set of emergency measures for Delhi NCR, run by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). As air quality worsens, CAQM invokes higher stages, and each stage adds restrictions on top of the ones before.
How stages are decided
- Stages are tied to Delhi’s average AQI from CPCB’s daily bulletin, with nominal thresholds of 201–300 (Stage I), 301–400 (II), 401–450 (III) and above 450 (IV).
- CAQM uses forecasts too, and often invokes a stage before the AQI reaches its band. Stage III has been invoked at AQI in the 350s–380s when severe air was forecast.
- Stages are revoked when air improves and forecasts allow, so they can change within days.
The thresholds haven’t changed in recent years, but the measures under each stage were revised in November 2025 and again in September 2026, with several actions moved to earlier stages.
What each stage means for households
Stage I: Poor (Delhi AQI 201–300)
- Open burning of waste and biomass banned
- Dust control at construction sites, road sweeping and sprinkling
- Stricter checks on polluting vehicles (PUC)
- No coal or firewood in tandoors at eateries
- Diesel generator use restricted
Stage II: Very Poor (Delhi AQI 301–400)
- More intensive dust control
- Higher parking fees to discourage private vehicles
- Staggered timings for public offices
- More public transport services
Stage III: Severe (Delhi AQI 401–450)
- Most construction and demolition work stopped (essential projects exempt)
- BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel cars restricted in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar and Sonipat
- Primary classes (up to Class V) switch to hybrid mode, with online option for parents
- Governments may allow 50% work from home
Stage IV: Severe+ (Delhi AQI Above 450)
- Truck entry into Delhi stopped except cleaner fuels and BS-VI
- Construction ban extended to public infrastructure projects
- Hybrid classes for Classes VI–IX and XI
- States may close colleges and non-essential commercial activity, or bring in odd-even
- Citizen charter: children, older adults and people with chronic heart or lung disease to stay indoors as much as possible, and wear a mask if they must go out
This is a summary of the actions most relevant to households, based on government press releases. The full schedule has 48 actions and is published by CAQM, so check it for anything that affects your work or vehicle.
What to do at each stage at home
GRAP restricts sources of pollution. It doesn’t protect you from the air that’s already there. Use the stages as a prompt:
| Stage | At home |
|---|---|
| I | Purifiers running in occupied rooms; respirators ready; sensitive family members cut down heavy outdoor exertion |
| II | Clean room in use day and night; shorten outdoor trips; schools’ outdoor activities may be curtailed |
| III | Children, older adults and people with heart or lung disease mostly indoors; primary school may go hybrid; plan for work from home |
| IV | Everyone limits outdoor time; sensitive people stay indoors as much as possible and wear a respirator if they must go out |
Where to check the stage in force
- CAQM at caqm.nic.in publishes the orders invoking and revoking stages.
- The Press Information Bureau carries CAQM’s announcements.
- The Delhi government’s AQI portal and news reports also carry the current stage, but check the date.
Note: a forecast site showing “GRAP 2” next to an AQI value may be showing the AQI band, not the order actually in force.