Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)

Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is an emergency action plan made by the government to tackle air pollution in the Delhi NCR region.
Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) was prepared by the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEFCC) after the order of the Supreme Court in December 2016.
GRAP includes the measures which will be taken by different government agencies to prevent worsening of Air Quality of Delhi-NCR (National Capital Region) and prevent PM10 and PM2.5 levels to go beyond ‘moderate’ national Air Quality Index (AQI) category.
The EPCA is mandated to enforce the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in the city as per the pollution levels.

Types of measures under Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)

Measures to be taken are divided into different categories based on the Pollution level:

Category	Ambient Particulate Matter (PM) Concentration	Measures
Moderate to Poor	PM 2.5 between 61-120 µg/m³ PM10 between 101-350 µg/m³	-Enforce pollution control in thermal power plants. -Mechanized sweeping on roads. -Ban on firecrackers. -Stop garbage burning.
Very Poor	PM2.5 between 121-250 µg/m³ PM10 between 351-430 µg/m³	-Stop the use of diesel generator sets. -Increase bus and metro services and increase frequency of metro service. -Stop the use of coal/firewood in hotels and open eateries
Severe	PM2.5 more than 250 µg/m³ PM10 more than 430 µg/m³	-Increase the frequency of mechanized sweeping of road and sprinkling of water on roads -Close brick kilns, Hot Mix plants, and Stone Crushers -Shut down the Badarpur power plant -Introduce concessional rates to encourage off-peak travel in public transport.
Severe+ or Emergency	PM2.5 of or more than 300 µg/m³ PM10 of or 500 µg/m³ (persist for 48 hours or more)	-Stop entry of diesel trucks into Delhi (except essential commodities) -Stop construction activities -Introduce odd and even scheme -Shutting of schools

The National Air Quality Index (AQI) is under the aegis of the CPCB.
AQI has been developed to inform people about the level of eight pollutants— PM2.5, PM10, Ammonia, Lead, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, ozone, and carbon monoxide.

The CAQM is a statutory body established under the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region (NCR) and Adjoining Areas, Act 2021.
Mandate: Better coordination, research, identification, and resolution of problems surrounding the air quality index and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
It undertakes action for the prevention and control of Air pollution in Delhi-NCR & Adjoining Areas which impacts the air quality of the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi.
The Commission is required to coordinate its actions on monitoring of air quality with the government of Delhi and the adjoining states, which includes Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.

Restricting activities influencing air quality.
Investigating and conducting research related to environmental pollution impacting air quality, preparing codes and guidelines to prevent and control air pollution,
Issuing directions on matters including inspections, or regulations, which will be binding on the concerned person or authority.
All the directions and orders by the Commission are of binding nature, and any person, officer, or authority shall be bound to comply with the same.
The commission is directly accountable to the parliament.

Chairperson: To be chaired by a government official of the rank of Secretary or Chief Secretary. He will hold the post for three years or until s/he attains the age of 70 years.
It will also have five ex officio members who are either Chief Secretaries or Secretaries in charge of the department dealing with environment protection in the States of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.
Three full-time technical members.Three members from non-government organisations.
Technical members from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Indian Space Research Organisation, and NITI Aayog.

Air Quality Index [AQI]	SAFAR- System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework	National Clean Air Programme