Grap-4 is back; schools set to go 'hybrid'

Delhi's air quality index (AQI) tipped into the "severe" zone on Monday evening for the first time in 23 days, snapping a period of relatively reprieve and prompting central panel to reimpose a host of curbs in NCR as part of stages 3 and 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap).

- Jasjeev Gandhiok

NEW DELHI:

Delhi recorded a 24-hour average AQI of 379 at 4 pm on Monday, with the number rising to 404 at 11 pm, as pollution levels spiked dramatically in two days. Similarly, Gurugram logged a "poor" AQI of 291 on Monday, which rose to 321 at 11 pm.

While Stage 3 was initially announced during the day, a steady increase in AQI prompted the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to hold an emergency meeting late in the evening, and invoking Stage 4 with immediate effect across NCR. Grap Stage 3 brings with it a ban on BS-3 petrol and BS-4 diesel four-wheelers in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar, blanket curbs on private construction and demolitions, along with restrictions on the use of stone crushers, mining and associated activities.