Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) and Air Quality Management

The Commission of Air Quality Management (CAQM) has announced that Delhi-NCR would be immediately placed under the stage 1 (poor) measures of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

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Graded Response Action Plan Delhi

About: Graded Response Action Plan is a set of emergency measures that kick in to prevent further deterioration of air quality once it reaches a certain threshold.

Origin:

The Graded Response Action Plan was first notified in January 2017 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

This was based on a plan that was submitted by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in November 2016.

Implementation:

According to the 2017 notification, the task of implementing the Graded Response Action Plan was with the now dissolved Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority for the NCR.

From 2021 onwards, the GRAP is being implemented by the CAQM.

The CAQM has constituted a sub-committee for the operationalization of the GRAP, which is required to meet frequently to issue orders to invoke the GRAP.

Enforcement: Measures under the various stages of Graded Response Action Plan are to be enforced by the pollution control boards of the NCR states and the concerned departments and agencies, including the traffic police, the Transport Department and road owning and construction agencies.

Stages and Measures:

The Graded Response Action Plan constitutes four stages which are activated based on the Air Quality Index (AQI) value.

Actions under Stages II, III and IV will be invoked three days in advance of the AQI reaching the projected level.

Measures being imposed under the previous categories will continue even when the subsequent category is activated, that is, if measures under Stage-2 are activated, measures under Stage-1 will continue to remain in place.

For AQI values, Commission of Air Quality Management (CAQM) is relying on the forecasts by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) and the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Stage	Triggering AQI value	Measures
Stage 1	‘poor’ category (201 to 300)	Stopping all construction and demolition activities with plot size of 500 square metres or more which have not been registered on dust mitigation monitoring portals Mechanized sweeping, water sprinkling on roads enforcing guidelines on use of anti-smog guns at construction sites enforcing ban on open burning of waste and PUC (pollution under control norms) for vehicles DISCOMs to minimize power supply interruptions in NCR Encourage offices to start unified commute for employees to reduce traffic
Stage 2	‘very poor’ category (301 to 400)	Not allowing coal/firewood in tandoors at hotels Stopping use of diesel generator sets except for essential and emergency services (hospitals, railways, metro services, airports, water pumping stations, “projects of national importance”) Enhance parking fees to discourage private transport Augment CNG/ electric bus and metro services by procuring additional fleet and increasing the frequency of service
Stage 3	‘severe’ category (401 to 450)	Ban on construction and demolition activities except railway, metro, hospitals, sanitation projects etc., linear public projects like highways, roads, flyovers Closure of industries that have PNG supply and are not running on approved fuels. In industrial areas that don’t have PNG supply, industries not running on approved fuels will operate only for five days a week State governments in NCR may impose restrictions on BS III petrol and BS IV diesel four wheelers
Stage 4	‘severe -’ category (above 450)	Stop entry of truck traffic into Delhi (except for essentials, CNG and electric trucks) Ban on plying of Delhi registered diesel medium and heavy goods vehicles in Delhi, except for essentials Ban on plying of 4-wheeler diesel vehicles in Delhi and districts of NCR bordering Delhi, except BS-VI vehicles and vehicles used for essential or emergency services State Governments may consider additional emergency measures like closure of schools, plying of vehicles on odd-even basis NCR State governments to decide on allowing public, municipal and private offices to work on 50% strength and the rest to work from home

Graded Response Action Plan Background

The order came after Delhi’s AQI deteriorated to be in the ‘poor’ category.
Other parts of the NCR, including Gurgaon, Noida and Greater Noida, also recorded ‘poor’ air quality.

How is the Graded Response Action Plan different this year

Graded Response Action Plan: Other Measures being Considered?

Under the ‘severe -’ category, State governments may consider additional emergency measures like the closure of schools, plying of vehicles on an odd-even basis, and decide on allowing public, municipal and private offices to work on 50% strength and the rest to work from home.

Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)

Establishment:
- It is a statutory body formed under the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas, Act 2021.
- The CAQM has replaced the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) which was appointed by the SC in 1998 and had been active for 22 years.
Objective: The Commission basically aims at better coordination, research, identification, and resolution of problems related to air quality in NCR and adjoining areas.
Jurisdiction: Over the NCR, including areas in Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan
Parent authority: The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
Powers and functions:
- The Commission will supersede bodies such as the central and state pollution control boards of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, UP and Rajasthan.
- Power to restrict industries in any area, conduct random inspections of any premises including factories. It may also shut down an industry or cut its water and power supply in case of non-compliance.
- Commission of Air Quality Management will also be monitoring the actions taken by the states to prevent stubble burning.
- The orders and directions of the CAQM will prevail in case of any conflict between directions issued by the State governments and the Commission of Air Quality Management.
Composition:
- It is a permanent body and will have over 20 members.
- To be chaired by a government official of the rank of Secretary or Chief Secretary.