Outlook Planet Desk
GRAP or Graded Response Action Plan is a set of emergency measures implemented by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to reduce the worsening air quality which tends to decline during the winter months.
GRAP IV is the strictest set of measures against the deteriorating air quality in the national capital. Imposed when the AQI exceeds 450, it adds further restrictions to the list of the ones implemented during the enforcement of GRAP I-III.
Delhi has suffered from bad air quality which has only deteriorated every year over the past decade. During winter, pollutants from vehicle emissions, industrial activities, construction dust, and stubble burning, accumulate and trap in the air.
Low air quality includes high amounts of PM 2.5 and PM 10 which are particulate matter small enough to enter the airway and deposit on the surface of the lungs causing tissue damage and lung inflammation. The air also has high quantities of nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide.
Classes have been shifted to online mode for all schools, and employees are encouraged to work from home while offices work at fifty per cent capacity.
The capital has shut its borders to all trucks and non-Delhi registered vehicles except those carrying essential goods or operating on clean fuel. Construction and demolition have also been suspended