Winter Is Coming: Anti-Pollution Curbs Imposed In Delhi For 1st Time This Season

Signalling the annual return of the dreaded pollution in the capital, the Commission for Air Quality Management, which is the Centre’s anti-pollution panel, has enforced curbs under GRAP-1 in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).

The CAQM announced the decision on Tuesday, when Delhi’s Air Quality Index was recorded at 211, which is in the ‘Poor’ category.

The Sub-Committee on GRAP, in a review meeting, analysed real-time data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) alongside forecasts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM).

“The AQI has entered the ‘Poor’ threshold, and projections indicate sustained levels in this range over the coming days due to stagnant weather conditions,” the committee noted in its order. This marks the first formal activation of GRAP measures for the season.

Under Stage-I (‘Poor’ Air Quality, AQI 201-300), a slew of enforcement actions will have to be taken by district administrations, pollution control boards and municipal bodies in Delhi as well as NCR districts in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Punjab.
(UPDATED ON 14TH OCTOBER 2025)