The Commission for Air Quality Management has revoked Stage-II restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in the Delhi-NCR after a sustained improvement in air quality, offering temporary relief to residents and businesses while keeping the region under close watch. Announcing the decision Wednesday late afternoon, CAQM noted that pollution levels had eased due to favourable meteorological conditions, including stronger surface winds and a rise in daytime temperatures that helped disperse accumulated pollutants.
According to official assessments, the average air quality in Delhi‑NCR has remained in the ‘poor’ category for a sustained period, marking a clear improvement from earlier days when readings frequently slipped into the ‘very poor’ range. Forecasts suggest that dispersion conditions are likely to remain supportive in the near term, reducing the immediate risk of a sharp deterioration. On this basis, the commission concluded that the continuation of Stage-II curbs was no longer warranted, reports said.
The withdrawal of Stage-II measures means that a range of additional restrictions, including enhanced curbs on polluting activities and tighter enforcement actions triggered during worsening air quality, have been lifted with immediate effect. However, the authorities have underlined that Stage-I measures under GRAP will continue across the region. These baseline controls are intended to prevent backsliding and ensure that gains made through favourable weather are not quickly eroded by local emission sources.
From an analytical perspective, the rollback highlights the inherently fragile nature of air quality improvements in the national capital region. The recent easing has been driven more by meteorological support than by a structural reduction in emissions, leaving Delhi-NCR vulnerable to renewed pollution spikes if weather conditions turn unfavourable. This underlines a recurring pattern in the region’s air management cycle, where episodic relief is followed by renewed restrictions as winter transitions into periods of atmospheric stagnation.
At the same time, the calibrated approach adopted by the commission reflects an effort to balance public health concerns with economic and social activity. By retaining Stage-I measures and maintaining close surveillance, regulators are signalling that the relaxation is conditional rather than definitive. Agencies across the region have been directed to remain on alert, enforce preventive steps and be prepared to reintroduce stricter controls if pollution indicators show signs of reversal.
The latest decision provides short-term breathing space for residents and eases operational pressures on transport, construction and commercial activity. Yet it also reinforces the broader challenge facing policymakers: without sustained interventions to address vehicular emissions, industrial pollution and regional sources such as biomass burning, improvements in air quality are likely to remain cyclical and heavily dependent on the weather rather than lasting systemic change.