Delhi chokes as AQI crosses 400 mark: GRAP-3 in force while schools continue in hybrid mode

Delhi-NCR woke up to another grey and suffocating morning as the air quality once again dipped into the ‘severe’ category. According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the national capital recorded an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 413 around 7 am on Tuesday, marking hazardous levels of pollution. A thick blanket of smog reduced visibility and raised concerns among health authorities, parents, and commuters.
Pollution peaks in several parts of the cityOut of Delhi’s 39 active air monitoring stations, 31 reported ‘severe’ air quality, CPCB’s Sameer app showed. Wazirpur recorded the day’s highest reading at 458, followed by Mundka at 464, while Anand Vihar, Rohini, and Bawana also hovered above the 400 mark.

The overall AQI rose from 362 on Monday to 429 (by 11:30 am on Tuesday) — the first ‘severe’ reading of the season for the capital.
GRAP Stage III measures come into effectWith conditions worsening, the Delhi government activated Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) on Tuesday, following directions from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).

Under Stage III, the following curbs have been implemented:

• Ban on most construction and demolition activities, except essential projects like railways and metro work.
• Suspension of operations at industries that are not powered by clean fuels.
• Ban on diesel generator sets, except for emergency use.
• Intensified mechanical road sweeping and water sprinkling to control dust.

Officials have also been directed to step up monitoring of open burning and vehicular emissions, major contributors to winter smog.
Schools continue hybrid mode; no closure announced for NCR regionsFollowing the GRAP Stage III enforcement, the Directorate of Education instructed Delhi schools to shift to hybrid learning for students up to Class 5, allowing classes to be held both online and offline depending on local air quality conditions.

However, no blanket closure of schools has been announced across the NCR region. Schools in Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, and Faridabad continue to operate under advisories, with decisions left to local authorities and individual managements based on daily AQI readings.

Parents from Noida and Ghaziabad remain concerned and demand for schools to shift to hybrid mode.

@dmgbnagar NCR’s AQI entered “severe” zone, DoE has directed schools up to Class V in Delhi to shift to hybrid mode. Why no directive been issued for Noida yet?
Are our little kids blessed with better immunity or breathing different air? Kindly do something for the little ones.

— Bibhas Biswas (@bibhas87) November 12, 2025

GRAP-3 has been implemented in Delhi, but Ghaziabad is still doing NOTHING while the city chokes! AQI is hazardous, children are falling sick, and schools are still open. How much worse does it need to get before you act? #Ghaziabad #AirPollution #AQI @dm_ghaziabad pic.twitter.com/X9f5Avnezq

— Abhilasha Priya (@Shuabhi) November 12, 2025

Officials have urged schools to minimise outdoor activities, ensure adequate indoor ventilation, and provide health advisories to parents.