Nov 11, 2025 — Delhi’s air pollution crisis deepened on Tuesday as the city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) breached the 400-mark, slipping into the ‘severe’ category for the first time this season. With the average AQI rising from 362 on Monday to 425 by 9 am today, authorities triggered Stage-III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) with immediate effect.

Data from the Central Pollution Control Board’s Sameer app showed that 34 out of 39 active monitoring stations were recording ‘severe’ pollution levels by 7 am. Some neighbourhoods were among the worst-hit — Bawana registered an AQI of 462, Wazirpur 460, while Punjabi Bagh and Mundka recorded 452 each.

What GRAP-III Means for Delhi NCR

Under Stage-III rules, strict restrictions have now come into force across Delhi and NCR districts including Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Noida.

Major curbs include:

• Complete ban on non-essential construction and demolition work
  (earth excavation, piling, RMC plants, trenching, sewer/utility laying etc.)

• Ban on private BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers in Delhi NCR

• Ban on BS-IV diesel medium & light commercial vehicles from outside Delhi
  (unless transporting essential goods / essential services)

• Schools up to Class 5 to pause physical classes and shift online

• Private offices advised to implement work-from-home / hybrid mode to minimise vehicular load

What Is Still Allowed

Essential public infrastructure projects — including Metro, airports, defence construction, sanitation, healthcare and railways — are exempted but must strictly follow dust control protocols.

AQI Scale

• 51–100: Satisfactory

• 101–200: Moderate

• 201–300: Poor

• 301–400: Very Poor

• 400+: Severe

Outlook

Authorities are closely monitoring wind patterns, stubble burning activity in neighbouring states, and vehicle emissions — key seasonal triggers behind Delhi’s winter pollution spikes. More curbs could be enforced if pollution levels continue to deteriorate.