GRAP stage 1 kicks in as air quality dips to poor, condition likely to prevail till Sunday
- Recently, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) slipped into the “poor category”.
- Following it, Stage 1 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) was imposed in the National Capital Region (NCR) to prevent further deterioration of air quality.
National Air Quality Index
- Launched in 2014 with outline ‘One Number - One Color - One Description’ for the common man to judge the air quality within his vicinity.
- Developed by the CPCB in consultation with IIT-Kanpur and an expert group comprising medical and air-quality professionals.
- The measurement of air quality is based on eight pollutants
- Particulate Matter (PM10)
- Particulate Matter (PM2.5)
- Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)
- Sulphur Dioxide (SO2)
- Carbon Monoxide (CO)
- Ozone (O3)
- Ammonia (NH3)
- Lead (Pb)
- AQI has six categories of air quality namely Good, Satisfactory, Moderately Polluted, Poor, Very Poor and Severe.
Graded Response Action Plan
- Formulated in 2016 and notified in 2017 for Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).
- These are institutionalised measures to be taken when air quality deteriorates, hence works only as an emergency measure.
- It includes the measures to be taken by different government agencies
- To prevent worsening of Air Quality of Delhi-NCR
- To prevent PM10 and PM2.5 levels from going beyond the ‘moderate’ national Air Quality Index (AQI) category.
- If air quality reaches the severe+ stage, GRAP talks about shutting down schools and implementing the odd-even road-space rationing scheme.
Prelims Takeaway
- National Air Quality Index
- Graded Response Action Plan
- The Committee for Air Quality Management