{"id":375285,"date":"2026-11-07T21:14:34","date_gmt":"2026-11-07T15:44:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=375285"},"modified":"2026-11-07T21:14:34","modified_gmt":"2026-11-07T15:44:34","slug":"delhi-must-look-beyond-grap-to-tackle-winter-air-pollution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/delhi-must-look-beyond-grap-to-tackle-winter-air-pollution\/","title":{"rendered":"Delhi must look beyond GRAP to tackle winter air pollution"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source:<\/strong> The post \u201cDelhi must look beyond GRAP to tackle winter air pollution” <\/strong>has been created based on “Delhi must look beyond GRAP to tackle winter air pollution\u201d <\/strong>published in \u201cIndian Express\u201d<\/strong> on 6th November 2026.<\/p>\n

UPSC Syllabus: <\/strong>GS 2- Governance<\/p>\n

Context: <\/strong>Delhi\u2019s winter air pollution is a recurring environmental challenge caused by multiple factors, including vehicular emissions, stubble burning, construction activities, waste burning and unfavourable meteorological conditions. The Delhi Winter Action Plan, launched on November 1, includes restrictions on non-compliant vehicles, the \u2018No PUCC, No Fuel\u2019 policy and construction curbs. However, the deterioration of air quality to the \u2018Very Poor\u2019 category highlights the need to move beyond temporary restrictions towards long-term, science-based solutions.<\/p>\n

Factors Responsible for Delhi’s Winter Air Pollution<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Meteorological factors<\/strong>\n
      \n
    1. Slow wind speeds prevent the dispersion of pollutants and lead to their accumulation in the atmosphere.<\/li>\n
    2. Delayed and milder winter conditions, influenced partly by Super El Ni\u00f1o, delayed the onset of the peak pollution season by nearly two weeks.<\/li>\n
    3. Cyclone Arnab and associated unexpected rainfall further contributed to the delayed onset.<\/li>\n
    4. The possible decline in western disturbances due to ENSO conditions may reduce rainfall and atmospheric cleansing during winter.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
    5. Stubble burning and inaccurate emission estimates<\/strong>\n
        \n
      1. Delayed paddy harvesting in Punjab and Haryana due to rainfall uncertainty has affected the timing of stubble burning.<\/li>\n
      2. NASA’s MODIS sensors often miss fire incidents because their satellite overpasses do not coincide with the actual timing of fires.<\/li>\n
      3. More than 90% of stubble-burning incidents in Punjab during 2024 and 2025 reportedly occurred after 3 PM, compared to less than 3% in 2021.<\/li>\n
      4. South Korea’s geostationary KOMPSAT-2A satellite, using its Advanced Meteorological Imager (AMI), has detected significantly higher agricultural fire counts.<\/li>\n
      5. NIAS modelling indicates that stubble burning contributed approximately 20% of Delhi\u2019s PM2.5 burden on November 1 when realistic additional emissions were incorporated.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
      6. Local sources of pollution<\/strong>\n
          \n
        1. Traffic congestion at road junctions and poorly maintained roads contribute to vehicular emissions.<\/li>\n
        2. Ineffective traffic management increases pollution.<\/li>\n
        3. Open waste burning and construction activities remain persistent sources of pollution.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Limitations of Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
            \n
          1. Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) provides emergency restrictions during periods of severe pollution but does not address the underlying causes.<\/li>\n
          2. It is comparable to an ICU intervention that stabilises a patient without curing the underlying disease.<\/li>\n
          3. Repeated restrictions cause public inconvenience and cannot ensure sustained reductions in emissions.<\/li>\n
          4. It focuses on managing pollution episodes rather than preventing pollution throughout the year.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Way Forward<\/strong><\/h2>\n
              \n
            1. Adopt an airshed-based approach<\/strong>\n
                \n
              1. Delhi should move towards airshed-based pollution management instead of limiting interventions to the boundaries of Delhi NCT.<\/li>\n
              2. The present Delhi-centric approach addresses only 50\u201370% of the emission sources affecting the city.<\/li>\n
              3. A pragmatic regional framework covering the relevant pollution airshed, rather than the entire NCR or Delhi alone, is required.<\/li>\n
              4. The NIAS-proposed indigenous framework, AIRSHEDEM, can help achieve near-100% source coverage through airshed-based master planning.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
              5. Strengthen scientific monitoring and data accuracy<\/strong>\n
                  \n
                1. Authorities should adopt appropriate satellite data, including geostationary satellite observations, to accurately detect stubble-burning incidents.<\/li>\n
                2. Emission inventories and air-quality forecasts must incorporate realistic and updated ground-level data.<\/li>\n
                3. Improved monitoring will enable accurate identification of pollution sources and effective policy interventions.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
                4. Ensure sustained emission reduction<\/strong>\n
                    \n
                  1. Long-term measures should address vehicular emissions, traffic congestion, construction dust and open waste burning.<\/li>\n
                  2. Effective traffic management and regular maintenance of roads should be prioritised.<\/li>\n
                  3. Stubble burning must be addressed through coordinated regional action involving Delhi, Punjab and Haryana.<\/li>\n
                  4. GRAP should function as an emergency response mechanism alongside structural pollution-control measures.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
                  5. Strengthen institutional coordination<\/strong>\n
                      \n
                    1. Regional planning should involve neighbouring States and relevant government agencies.<\/li>\n
                    2. Pollution-control policies should be based on scientific evidence, accurate emission estimates and coordinated implementation.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                      Conclusion:<\/strong> Delhi needs to shift from seasonal crisis management to comprehensive, year-round air-quality management. GRAP is necessary for immediate relief, but lasting improvement requires accurate emissions data, airshed-based regional planning, scientific monitoring and sustained reduction of pollution at its source.<\/p>\n

                      Question:<\/strong> Delhi\u2019s winter air pollution cannot be addressed through emergency measures alone. Discuss the limitations of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) and suggest a comprehensive, science-based approach to tackle the problem.<\/p>\n

                      Source: <\/strong>Indian Express<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                      Source: The post \u201cDelhi must look beyond GRAP to tackle winter air pollution” has been created based on “Delhi must look beyond GRAP to tackle winter air pollution\u201d published in \u201cIndian Express\u201d on 6th November 2026. UPSC Syllabus: GS 2- Governance Context: Delhi\u2019s winter air pollution is a recurring environmental challenge caused by multiple factors,… Continue reading Delhi must look beyond GRAP to tackle winter air pollution<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10320,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1230],"tags":[300,212,10500],"class_list":["post-375285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-pm-daily-articles","tag-governance","tag-gs-paper-2","tag-indian-express","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10320"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=375285"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375285\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=375285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=375285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=375285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}