NEW DELHI: The national capital on Saturday entered the “red zone” after the air quality index (AQI) crossed 400-mark, making the situation adverse for Delhiites and the citizens in the national capital region.With a 24-hour average AQI of 361, Delhi became the country’s second most polluted city, according to CPCB data. Several areas, including Wazirpur (420), Burari (418), and Vivek Vihar (411), recorded “severe” pollution levels, while most others hovered in the ‘very poor’ range. In the NCR, Noida (354), Greater Noida (336), and Ghaziabad (339) also reported hazardous air, underscoring the region’s worsening smog crisis.The air quality early warning system for Delhi has forecast that the city’s air will stay in the ‘very poor’ category for the coming days. Since Diwali, the capital’s air quality has largely hovered between ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’, at times deteriorating to ‘severe’ levels.

Why GRAP 3 not yet enforced?

Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) stage 3 has not been enforced yet because, according to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), the city’s air quality this November has remained comparatively better than the same period last year. Officials said that pollution levels have not yet reached the severe threshold that would trigger Stage 3 restrictions. They credited this improvement to timely and coordinated actions across departments, including intensified dust control, road cleaning, anti-smog operations, and stricter checks on vehicles and industrial emissions, which have helped delay the need for harsher measures.“Out of the last seven days, six have recorded better air quality than the corresponding days last year. This has been possible because of timely and coordinated action taken across departments,” PTI quoted an official saying.“Last year, GRAP Stage 3 was imposed on November 13. This time, with support from all departments and the residents of Delhi, we hope to prevent reaching that stage,” the official said.