As the air quality in Delhi worsened to the ‘poor’ category, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the NCR and adjoining areas announced Stage 1 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) on Wednesday (October 21, 2026).

GRAP is a set of short-term emergency measures aimed at reducing air pollution and is divided into four stages, depending on the level of air pollution that exists at a particular time or is predicted for the near future.

Also Read: GRAP Stage 1 imposed in Delhi as AQI plummets: Full list of restrictions

“The Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi, which was observed to be 179 (moderate category) on October 20, has exhibited a sharp rise with an AQI of 244 at 2 pm on October 21 (poor category),” said the CAQM in a statement.

It added that the forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology had predicted AQI to remain in the ‘poor’ category in the coming days.

The first stage, GRAP-1, kicks in when the AQI is between 201 and 300; the second stage, GRAP-2, is enforced when the AQI is between 301 and 400; GRAP-3 kicks in between 401 and 500; and GRAP-4 is invoked when the AQI is more than 450.

(With PTI inputs)