GRAP Stage II in Delhi as air turns 'very poor'; Supreme Court allows green crackers on 7 and 8 November

Delhi's air slips to 'very poor'

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) imposed Stage 2 restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi and the National Capital Region on 2 November, with immediate effect, after air quality deteriorated to the 'very poor' category.

In its order, the commission said Delhi's Air Quality Index rose sharply from 117 on 31 October to 261 on 1 November and further to 324 on 2 November, owing to unfavourable meteorological conditions. As of 6:05 pm on 2 November, the capital recorded an average AQI of 327 on the Sameer application of the Central Pollution Control Board.

Thirty-eight of the 58 active monitoring stations recorded 'very poor' air quality, while three stations recorded an AQI above 400, which falls under the 'severe' category. At 447, Jahangirpuri in northwest Delhi was the worst, followed by Rohini at 420 and Punjab Bagh at 415. The India Meteorological Department and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology predicted that the AQI would remain in the 'very poor' category in the coming days.

What Stage II changes

Stage II of GRAP, which applies when Delhi's AQI is between 301 and 400, adds to Stage I, which has applied since 21 October. It does not replace it. The new curbs include a ban on the use of coal and firewood, including tandoors, in hotels, restaurants and open eateries, and a ban on the use of diesel generator sets except for emergency and essential services.

The measures also include higher parking fees to discourage private vehicles, more frequent mechanical sweeping of roads and water sprinkling with dust suppressants, and intensified inspections for dust control at construction and demolition sites. A day earlier, a wider set of winter pollution-control rules had begun, under which non-BS-VI vehicles registered outside Delhi are restricted from entering and operating in the capital, with CNG and electric vehicles and certain specified categories exempt.

Court allows green crackers on 7 and 8 November

On the same day, the Supreme Court allowed people in Delhi-NCR to burst certified green firecrackers on 7 and 8 November, during set hours on the eve of Diwali and the festival day. A bench of Justices M. M. Sundresh and Prasanna B. Varale permitted firecrackers from 6 am to 7 am and from 8 pm to 10 pm on both days.

Only green crackers certified by CSIR-NEERI, the government's environmental research laboratory in Nagpur, and listed on its website are allowed. Crackers containing barium are banned, as are 'ladis', crackers strung together in a series. Firecrackers are barred within 300 metres of hospitals, nursing homes, health centres, old-age homes, schools and other educational institutions and notified silence zones, which are to be marked as 'No-Cracker Zones'.

Sales are allowed only from 4 to 6 November, by traders whose cancelled licences are restored for those three days and only at spots picked by the district collector and police, with no online sales. From 9 November, the complete ban returns. The court, whose order is dated 29 October, said it was short of adequate data to decide whether a complete ban would be the best solution, and that it had not been shown whether the ban had served its purpose, particularly since there had been no significant improvement in AQI readings.

A general health note

Air quality in the 'very poor' range can affect people's health in general, and official advisories typically urge residents to limit outdoor exertion when the air is at its worst. This article is general information only and is not personal health advice; readers with breathing difficulties or other health concerns should follow guidance from their doctor and the advisories issued by the authorities.

Editorial disclosure

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