Northern India encountered the recurring annual pre-winter event of air emergency where the Air Quality Index (AQI) readings of main pollutant PM 2.5 breached the 400-mark of “very poor” and landed the air of Delhi, Punjab and other northern cities into the “hazardous” category.

GRAP stage 3 will come into force at 8am on Friday. The Delhi government announced that classes for primary schools will be shifted to online.

The GRAP-3 measures include a ban on construction activities and restrictions on the operation of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).

Delhi's air quality remains severe, prompting GRAP-III restrictions under which stringent ban will be put in place on construction and demolition activities among others.

As Delhi's air quality dropped to 'severe', Delhi Chief Minister Atishi announced that all primary schools in the national capital would be shifted to online modules. In a post on X, Atishi said that the online sessions will continue till further directions.

Delhi residents woke up to ‘severe’ air quality on Thursday morning (November 14), a day after the national capital recorded the worst AQI in the country, with dense fog blanketing the NCR, reducing visibility.

Dense smog engulfed Delhi and its surrounding areas on Wednesday morning with visibility dropping and the air quality settling in the "very poor" category. According to data by the Central Pollution Control Board,