No tandoor at eateries, open burning of waste: List of curbs under Grap-1 in Delhi

GRAP-1 is the first stage of the Graded Response Action Plan, a set of emergency measures designed to stop air quality from worsening. It applies when Delhi’s Air Quality Index reaches between 201 and 300. The measures target pollution sources rather than waiting for conditions to become more severe.

The Commission of Air Quality Management enforced GRAP-1 after Delhi’s AQI rose sharply. It increased from 179, in the moderate category, on October 20 to 244, in the poor category, at 2 pm on October 21. The change crossed the threshold for the first response stage.

The restrictions cover construction dust, open waste burning, cooking fuels, diesel generators, polluting vehicles, traffic management, and industrial emissions. They apply across the National Capital Region. Residents are also asked to reduce idling, switch off engines at red lights, choose cleaner vehicles, and report pollution through official apps or the 311 helpline.

An AQI of 244 is classified as poor under the scale described in the article. It falls within the 201–300 range that triggers GRAP-1. This means air quality had moved beyond the moderate category and required emergency controls to prevent further deterioration.

Delhi’s AQI was 179 on October 20, which was described as moderate. By 2 pm on October 21, it had reached 244. The increase was 65 AQI points. The article also reports an AQI of 233 at 9 am that day, showing that poor air quality persisted through the morning.

The rise matters because GRAP is threshold-based. Once the AQI enters the poor band, authorities begin source-control measures. These include limiting dust, banning open waste burning, restricting dirty cooking fuels, controlling diesel generators, and acting against visibly polluting vehicles. The article does not provide a pollution concentration or health-risk estimate for AQI 244.

GRAP-1 restricts activities that release pollution directly into the air. Construction and demolition sites must control dust, and projects larger than 500 square metres need an approved dust-management plan. Open burning of garbage, leaves, and other waste is banned.

Coal and firewood cannot be used in roadside food stalls or commercial kitchens. Hotels, restaurants, and open eateries must cook with electricity, gas, or other clean fuels. Diesel generators are limited to essential or emergency use. Vehicles that visibly pollute may be fined or impounded, while traffic police are deployed at key intersections.

The rules also maintain bans on diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years in Delhi. Polluting industries and thermal power plants within 300 kilometres of Delhi face enforcement action. The article states that these restrictions are in place across the National Capital Region, not only within Delhi’s boundaries.

The Commission of Air Quality Management is the authority that enforced GRAP-1 after Delhi’s AQI entered the poor category. Enforcement also involves traffic police, who are instructed to work at key intersections and encourage drivers to switch off engines at red lights. Authorities can fine or impound vehicles that visibly pollute.

Businesses and site operators must follow the controls. Construction and demolition projects must manage dust, while hotels, restaurants, and open eateries must avoid coal and firewood. Diesel generators are allowed only for essential or emergency use. Polluting industries and thermal power plants within 300 kilometres of Delhi face enforcement action.

Residents also have responsibilities. They are advised not to idle vehicles, to switch off engines at red lights, and to prefer hybrid or electric vehicles. People can report pollution-related problems through the Green Delhi App, SAMEER App, or by dialing 311. The article does not identify every enforcement agency involved.

The restrictions are designed to stop additional pollution from entering Delhi’s air. Banning open burning removes a direct source of smoke. Requiring clean cooking fuels reduces emissions from coal- and wood-fired tandoors. Limiting diesel generators cuts their exhaust except when essential or needed in emergencies.

Construction and demolition controls target dust, which can spread from exposed materials and work areas. Larger projects must have approved dust-management plans. Together, these measures act at several sources at once: waste burning, commercial cooking, backup power, and building activity. The plan is preventive rather than a promise of a specific AQI drop.

The article does not report how much pollution each ban will remove or how quickly Delhi’s AQI will improve. It states that GRAP measures aim to prevent further deterioration. Their immediate expected effect is therefore to reduce new emissions and dust while enforcement continues across the National Capital Region.

Open burning releases smoke and fine particles from incomplete combustion of garbage, leaves, and other waste. Coal and firewood used in tandoors also burn directly and produce smoke and particles. These emissions are released close to people, especially around roadside stalls, restaurants, and open eateries.

Diesel generators burn fuel and release exhaust, particularly when used as backup power. Vehicles add exhaust emissions, with visibly polluting vehicles singled out for possible fines or impounding. Older diesel and petrol vehicles are separately restricted in Delhi. Construction and demolition activities can disturb soil, cement, and building materials, creating airborne dust.

These explanations use established environmental knowledge; the article itself mainly identifies the activities as pollution sources. GRAP-1 responds by banning open burning, requiring cleaner cooking fuels, limiting generators, managing construction dust, and enforcing vehicle rules. The controls aim to reduce fresh emissions rather than describe a guaranteed improvement.

Delhi’s air pollution often becomes worse in winter because colder conditions can produce stable air near the ground. Weak winds and temperature inversions can limit vertical mixing, allowing pollution to remain concentrated close to where people live. This is established atmospheric science, not a mechanism explained in detail by the article.

Pollution can also move into Delhi from surrounding regions when winds carry emissions toward the capital. Sources may include fires, industries, vehicles, and power plants. The article specifically notes that polluting industries and thermal power plants within 300 kilometres of Delhi face enforcement action, but it does not identify which surrounding sources contributed to this episode.

The Delhi government’s Winter Action Plan is scheduled from November 1 to February 28. It includes construction and demolition curbs, AI-based site monitoring, work-from-home measures, staggered office timings, cleaner mobility, Metro use, and carpooling. These steps are intended to limit emissions during the winter period.