GRAP Stage I Explained: AQI Limits, Measures and UPSC Notes

GRAP Stage I in Delhi-NCR: Learn its AQI trigger (201–300), key pollution-control measures, four stages, CAQM's role and UPSC-relevant facts.

Table of Contents

Context

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked Stage I of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR after the Air Quality Index (AQI) entered the Poor category.

About GRAP Stage I

Nature: The first stage of a graded emergency framework to control air pollution in Delhi-NCR.
Trigger: AQI in the Poor category (201–300).
Background: Developed following Supreme Court directions in M.C. Mehta v. Union of India (2016) and notified on 12 January 2017 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
Implementing Authority: CAQM, in coordination with pollution control boards, municipal bodies, transport departments and traffic police.
Objective: Control pollution through progressively stricter measures as air quality deteriorates.

Four Stages of GRAP

Stage	AQI Category	AQI Range
Stage I	Poor	201–300
Stage II	Very Poor	301–400
Stage III	Severe	401–450
Stage IV	Severe+	Above 450

Key Measures under Stage I

Dust Control: Mechanised road sweeping, water sprinkling and anti-smog guns at construction sites.
Construction and Demolition: Enforces dust-control norms, covering of construction materials and vehicles, and online registration for projects covering 500 sq. metres or more.
Vehicular Pollution: Strengthens Pollution Under Control (PUC) checks, traffic management and action against polluting vehicles.
Waste Management: Prohibits open burning of biomass and municipal waste and strengthens landfill monitoring.
Industrial Emissions: Enforces approved clean fuels and emission standards, restricts diesel generator use and prohibits coal and firewood in restaurant tandoors.