GRAP Stage III back across Delhi-NCR as AQI hits 382, two days before Diwali

The Commission for Air Quality Management imposed Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan across Delhi and the National Capital Region on Friday, November 6, 2026, as the capital’s air sank deep into the very poor band two days before Diwali.

Delhi’s average air quality index stood at 382 on Friday, close to the 400 mark where the air turns severe. Several monitoring stations had already crossed that line: by 4 pm, the dashboard run by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology showed Jahangirpuri at 449, Delhi Technological University at 445 and Bawana at 428.

The commission’s sub-committee on GRAP said it had acted “as a precautionary measure”, with the curbs taking effect immediately. Stage III is normally tied to severe air, but the panel can move early when the trend and forecasts point that way.

What the curbs mean

The biggest change is on building sites. Dust-raising construction and demolition is banned across the region, including earthwork, piling, trenching, road building and stone cutting. Sand and cement may not be carried on unpaved roads, and stone crushers, mining and hot-mix plants that do not run on clean fuel must shut. Railways, the metro, airports, hospitals, highways, water supply and national security projects can carry on if they follow dust-control rules.

On the roads, BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers face restrictions in Delhi and named NCR districts, with exemptions for essential services. Some diesel goods vehicles and inter-state diesel buses also face curbs. Diesel generator sets are barred except for emergency and essential services.

The Delhi government and the NCR states must decide whether public, municipal and private offices should run at 50 per cent strength, with the rest of the staff working from home; the Centre will take its own call for its employees. Under the Stage III schedule, classes up to Class 5 can be moved to hybrid or online mode. Residents have been asked to use private vehicles less and not to burn coal or wood for heating.

Worse air expected over Diwali

The timing is grim. The early warning bulletin from IITM Pune forecasts severe air from November 7 to 9, the Diwali weekend, when firecrackers and festival traffic usually add to the haze. For the six days after that, it expects air quality to swing between severe and very poor.

Stage III comes on top of the Stage I and II measures already in force, and the commission has asked agencies to step up mechanical sweeping, water sprinkling and traffic management. If the index stays above 450, the commission can move to Stage IV, the last and toughest step of the plan.