GRAP in Delhi NCR: what the 2026 schedule asks of facilities
GRAP is the Commission for Air Quality Management's staged response plan for Delhi NCR, triggered as the Air Quality Index worsens. The schedule revised on 28 September 2026 moved diesel generator set actions from Stage II to Stage I, and Stage I took effect across NCR on 21 October. Sites need a daily record of when generators ran and what their indoor air looked like.
Who it applies to
GRAP actions run across the National Capital Region, including Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar, and the 2026 revision adds Sonipat to the vehicle restrictions. Agencies enforce it against sites, and CAQM reported closure orders for more than 1,800 violating units.
Construction and demolition sites of 500 square meters or more register on state pollution control board portals and install cameras. From 2026 that monitoring also covers large sites outside municipal limits, including industrial areas and highway corridors, which brings many campus and plant expansions into scope.
What changed, and the data behind it
Summaries from the sources below. Check the current CAQM order for exact wording and exemptions before acting.
| Change | What it means for a site | Data Aqueduct supplies |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel generator set actions moved from Stage II to Stage I | Generator limits now apply from the first stage, in effect since 21 October. | An energy balance with grid, solar and diesel generator as separate sources, so run hours and kWh from the generator are logged each day. |
| 48 actions across four stages: 25 in Stage I, 8 in Stage II, 10 in Stage III, 5 in Stage IV | More is asked earlier in the season, while the later stages stay short. | A dated record per site that lines up with each stage's start and end. |
| Dust monitoring extended beyond municipal limits | Large construction outside city limits now registers and is watched by camera. | Not measured by Aqueduct. The record sits on the state portal. |
| Stricter vehicle entry rules in Stages III and IV | Deliveries and fleet movements can stop at short notice. | Not measured by Aqueduct. Plan logistics against the stage. |
The season so far
Delhi AQI at 2 pm on 21 October 2026, up from 179 a day earlier, when Stage I was invoked.
Source: India TVFirst-stage measures in the revised plan, the largest of the four.
Source: News On AIRPeak reading that triggered last season's top stage, on 17 January.
Source: News On AIRIndoor air when the outdoor index is poor
A poor outdoor index puts building operators in a bind. More outdoor air dilutes CO2 indoors but brings in particulates, and less outdoor air keeps particulates out while CO2 builds in occupied rooms. Neither choice is right for every zone at every hour.
Aqueduct shows CO2 and particulates per zone, overlaid with occupancy, so the team sees which rooms are full and stale and which can run on lower outdoor air. CO2 exposure is tracked in zone-hours, because a high level held for an afternoon matters more than a short spike.
Where this is going
Each revision has moved actions earlier. In 2026 the generator set measures moved from Stage II to Stage I, and dust monitoring left city limits, so a site now meets more rules on the first poor day of the season, not the worst.
The January 2026 Stage IV order shows how far a season can run. Sites that log generator use and indoor air every day can answer an inspector from data rather than from a logbook filled in afterward.
Sources5 references cited on this page
- News On AIR: CAQM approves revised GRAP schedule for NCR (29 September 2026)
- ThePrint: Winter pollution playbook updated, CAQM tightens GRAP 2026 for Delhi
- India TV: GRAP Stage 1 imposed in Delhi NCR (21 October 2026)
- News On AIR: CAQM invokes Stage 4 of GRAP in Delhi NCR (18 January 2026)
- Commission for Air Quality Management (current orders and schedule)
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Common questions
GRAP is the Graded Response Action Plan, a four-stage list of pollution measures that the Commission for Air Quality Management switches on as Delhi's Air Quality Index worsens. Aqueduct keeps the site records that line up with each stage. See indoor air quality compliance.
Yes. Since the late September 2026 revision, generator measures sit in the first stage, which CAQM invoked across NCR on 21 October, rather than waiting for Stage II. Exemptions are set in each CAQM order. Aqueduct records generator output as its own source line. See the digital twin.
From a meter on the generator feed, read on the same clock as grid and solar. Aqueduct draws the site's energy balance with each source as its own node, so daily run hours and kWh from the generator are recorded and exportable for an inspection. More on energy outcomes.
Not across the board. Cutting outdoor air keeps particulates out but lets CO2 build in full rooms, so the right setting differs by zone and hour. Aqueduct shows CO2 and particulates per zone with occupancy, so teams adjust where the trade-off favors it. See particulate monitoring.
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