Grap Stages Explained India
Published 1 September 2026
What GRAP Is
GRAP — the Graded Response Action Plan — is the emergency framework used in
Delhi-NCR when air quality deteriorates. Rather than a single set of rules, it is a ladder:
as air worsens, progressively stricter measures come into force, and as it improves, they
relax.
It is administered by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), and
the specific measures at each stage have been revised between seasons. That matters for a
practical reason: lists published in previous years are frequently out of date,
and the version circulating on social media in November is often last year’s.
Use this as a map, not a rulebook. The structure below is stable; the exact
measures change. For what is actually in force on a given day, check the current CAQM order.
The Four Stages
| Stage | Air quality | Measures typically introduced |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | Poor | Dust control at construction sites, mechanical road sweeping and water sprinkling, enforcement against open waste burning, checks on older vehicles |
| Stage 2 | Very Poor | Stage 1 continues, plus restrictions on diesel generators, higher parking charges to discourage private vehicles, and increased public transport frequency |
| Stage 3 | Severe | Non-essential construction and demolition halted, stone crushers and mining stopped, restrictions on more categories of older vehicles, younger school years often moved online |
| Stage 4 | Severe Plus | The strictest tier — truck entry restrictions, further construction bans including some public projects, wider vehicle restrictions, offices moved to partial work-from-home, broader school closures |
What Triggers a Stage
Broadly, the stages follow the CPCB air quality index categories — Poor, Very Poor, Severe
and Severe Plus — with each successive band invoking the next stage.
The mechanism has evolved in one significant way worth knowing: CAQM has moved toward
invoking stages on forecast rather than waiting for measured air to cross a
threshold. The reasoning is straightforward — measures like halting construction take time to
have any effect, so acting after the air is already severe is acting too late.
In practice this means a stage can be announced on a day that does not yet feel that bad.
That is the system working as intended, not an error.
What It Means for Your Household
GRAP is aimed at emission sources, not at households. But the announcements are a useful
signal, because they tell you what the coming days are expected to look like.
- Stage 1 announced — the season has started in earnest. If sealing and
filter replacement are not done, do them now. - Stage 2 — drop the routine afternoon ventilation to a shorter window.
Move outdoor exercise indoors. - Stage 3 — treat it as a stay-indoors period. Expect school disruption at
short notice and have a plan for children at home. Filtration running in occupied rooms. - Stage 4 — the severe-day protocol: everything shut, no indoor combustion,
fitted N95 outdoors, minimum time outside.
When Stage 1 is announced, replace your air purifier’s filter. A filter
that has run since last winter is close to saturated, and the weeks after Stage 1 are exactly
when it needs to work.
What GRAP Doesn’t Do
Two honest limitations, both worth understanding.
It is a response, not a standard. GRAP manages severe episodes. Air well
below the level that triggers Stage 1 remains substantially above WHO guideline values. When
restrictions lift, the emergency has passed — the air is not good.
It does not address indoor air at all. Every measure targets outdoor
emission sources. Nothing in GRAP touches cooking emissions, incense, infiltration through
unsealed windows, or whether the room you sleep in is filtered. That part remains entirely a
household matter, and it is the part you actually control.
Air gets an emergency framework. Water quality does not — so it is worth checking yours directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is GRAP in air pollution?
GRAP stands for the Graded Response Action Plan — a set of emergency measures for Delhi-NCR that escalate in stages as air quality worsens. It is administered by the Commission for Air Quality Management, and each stage adds restrictions on activities that contribute to particulate pollution.
What is banned under GRAP Stage 3?
Stage 3 typically halts non-essential construction and demolition, closes stone crushers and mining, restricts certain categories of older and more polluting vehicles, and often moves younger school years online. The exact measures are revised by CAQM between seasons, so check the current order rather than relying on last year’s list.
What AQI level triggers each GRAP stage?
Broadly, the stages follow the CPCB air quality categories: Stage 1 with ‘Poor’ air, Stage 2 with ‘Very Poor’, Stage 3 with ‘Severe’ and Stage 4 with ‘Severe Plus’. CAQM has revised both the thresholds and the trigger mechanism over time — including moving toward invoking stages on forecast rather than only on measured air — so treat the bands as the framework rather than a fixed rulebook.
Does GRAP mean the air is safe once restrictions lift?
No. GRAP is a response to severe episodes, not a standard for clean air. Air quality well below the level that triggers Stage 1 is still substantially above WHO guideline values. Restrictions lifting means the emergency has passed, not that the air is good.
Do schools close under GRAP?
Often at the higher stages, and it is usually a state or district decision taken alongside GRAP rather than an automatic consequence of it. Younger year groups are typically moved online first. Announcements tend to come at short notice, which is why having a plan for children at home is worth arranging in advance.
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