The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the relaxation of GRAP-4 (Graded Response Action Plan) measures for Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), permitting the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to implement GRAP-2 measures to manage pollution levels in the region.
The court, however, said GRAP-4 must be enforced immediately whenever the Air Quality Index (AQI) level crosses 400.
It also directed the commission not to go below stage 2 of GRAP restrictions in the national capital. It also suggested the commission to include some additional measures from GRAP-3 in curbs till AQI further improves in the region.
After battling persistent air pollution for the past month, Delhi's air quality saw a significant improvement on Thursday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 161, placing it in the 'moderate' category.
As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) classification, an AQI between 0-50 is categorized as 'good', 51-100 as 'satisfactory', 101-200 as 'moderate', 201-300 as 'poor', 301-400 as 'very poor', and 401-500 as 'severe'.
The air quality in the national capital began deteriorating on October 30, when it entered the "very poor" category.
Over the next 15 days, the AQI consistently remained in the "very poor" range, with readings of above 300.
The situation worsened further in the second half of November as the air turned toxic, with the AQI levels exceeding 400.
However, the air quality showed signs of improvement with the onset of December due to strong winds.
Starting December 1, the AQI improved to the "poor" category and continued to get better.
(With inputs from PTI)