Delhiites breathed "very poor" quality air on Monday after 94 days, as the city's average air quality index reached 310, prompting the enforcement of GRAP stage II in the national capital.
With the imposition of the second stage of the Graded Response Action Plan in the city, the use of coal and firewood, including in tandoors at hotels, restaurants, and open eateries, as well as diesel generator sets (except for emergency and essential services), is banned.
GRAP is a set of anti-air pollution measures followed in the national capital and its vicinity according to the severity of the situation. As of early morning Delhi’s AQI was recorded at 214 and the 24-hour average AQI was recorded at 310 at 4 pm on Monday.
It classifies the air quality in the Delhi-NCR under four different stages: Stage I - 'Poor' (AQI 201-300); Stage II - 'Very Poor' (AQI 301-400); Stage III - 'Severe' (AQI 401-450); and Stage IV - 'Severe Plus' (AQI>450).
Out of 36 monitoring stations in the city, 26 are in the red zone, with AQI recorded in the "very poor" category, according to the data on Monday.
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