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The end of May has brought double relief for the residents of Delhi-NCR. On one hand, there has been a huge drop in the temperature due to the pleasant rains in the past few days, while on the other hand, the air of Delhi has also become much cleaner than before. In view of this major improvement in air quality, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has removed the restrictions of the first phase of Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) i.e. Grap-1 from Delhi-NCR with immediate effect.
On Friday, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) improved to 123, which puts it in the ‘moderate’ category as per CPCB standards. Due to this positive change in weather and strong winds, pollutants have been cleared from the air.
What will change when restrictions are lifted? Big relief to hotel and restaurant owners
The biggest benefit of the removal of Grape-1 rules is going to be given to small businessmen running hotels, restaurants and roadside dhabas of Delhi-NCR:
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Ban on use of tandoor lifted: Till now, to control pollution, there was a complete ban on burning coal and wood in tandoor, which has now been removed. Now people will be able to enjoy the taste of traditional tandoor again.
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Diesel Generator (DG Sets) approved: Earlier, there were strict restrictions on the use of diesel generators and they were allowed to operate only for emergency or vital services. Now this ban has also been lifted, which will provide great relief to traders and societies in case of power cut.
Understand what is GRAP and when is it applicable?
To prevent pollution levels from increasing in Delhi-NCR, GRAP restrictions are implemented in four different phases depending on the air quality. You can easily understand this from the table given below:
| Grape Stage | AQI limits | level of restrictions |
| Stage-I (implemented and now removed) | 201 to 300 | Initial restrictions (in case of bad air) |
| Stage-II | 301 to 400 | Medium strict rules (if there is very bad wind) |
| Stage-III | 401 to 500 | Strict construction and vehicle ban (critical situation) |
| Stage-IV | more than 450 | Emergency rules, ban on entry of trucks (very serious) |
What is the scale of AQI according to CPCB?
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has set some categories to measure air purity:
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0 to 50: ‘Good’ – Best for health.
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51 to 100: ‘Satisfactory’ – Normal air.
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101 to 200: ‘Moderate’ – Sensitive people may face mild problems (currently Delhi is in this category).
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201 to 300: ‘Poor’ – Difficulty in breathing begins.
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301 to 400: ‘Very Poor’ – Risk of becoming ill if outside for a long time.
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401 to 500: ‘Severe’ – A dangerous condition even for healthy people.
Due to change in weather the temperature also became normal
It is a matter of relief that along with pollution, the temperature of Delhi has also seen a huge decline. Within the last two days, the maximum temperature of Delhi has dropped by about 9.4°C. According to the Meteorological Department (IMD), the maximum temperature of Delhi was recorded at 36.8°C on Friday, which is the lowest in the last three weeks.
Earlier, such relief was received in Delhi on May 8, when the mercury was recorded at 36.4°C. Meteorologists say that the weather will remain like this for the next one or two days, due to which the people of Delhi will get relief from the scorching heat wave in the beginning of June.