GRAP measures are short-term emergency responses, not long-term solutions. Every winter, as the Air Quality Index (AQI) in NCR plunges to hazardous levels, govt rolls out its Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) – a court-mandated emergency protocol to temporarily reduce air-pollution.
Though well-intentioned, some provisions have been doing exactly the opposite. Causing more pollution, or the reduction in pollution—if at all—is too small compared to the havoc it causes to the public. Here is a pick of four such measures that need relook:
1) Don’t stop construction, ask for clean practices
The blanket ban on construction and demolition work under GRAP impacts thousands of daily-wage labourers, forcing many to leave the city in winter. There are nearly 13.8 lakh such workers registered in Delhi alone. As TOI has written recently, most of them do not get the compensation they are supposed to get during such bans.
That aside, construction stops only in a few places and goes on blatantly in most places—e.g. thousands of home renovations or constructions. It’s beyond any law enforcement agency to identify and halt such work. What halts immediately, however, are much-needed public works like repair of badly broken but heavily used roads.
The result: traffic congestion and dust, which compounds the pollution problem. Often, some dust-emitting large govt projects remain exempt from the ban.
Possible solution: Mandate green construction practices, instead of halting work. China, for example, is making environmentally sustainable buildings a standard by 2027. Even in 2020, green building initiatives constituted 77% of China's new urban development projects. Law enforcement agencies can do random check of construc tion sites for their adherence to green norms and seal those not in compliance. This will balance the need for pollution control with continuity of economic activities.
2) Barricades = Traffic jams = More pollution
In the name of implementing GRAP, the police places barricades across the city, which brings traffic to halt at peak hours. It causes congestion and adds to pollution. To catch a fraction of non-complaint vehicles, every vehicle is halted or slowed. The traffic policemen are compelled to inhale the same toxic air. An officer said they have an app through which they can check the registration of vehicles, and also a booklet with pictures of different vehicles and specifications to help identify the ones that are banned. But that doesn’t help.
Possible solution: Govt agencies should ensure that owners of vehicles not supposed to be on road during GRAP receive a message on their phone. While some did receive such messages from the Delhi transport department last year, many didn’t this year. A system should be developed to identify old and banned vehicles plying on the roads through CCTV cameras and penalise them. And if such a system isn’t possible to build, stop this measure all together. The feasibility-desirability mismatch is just too high.
3) Stop chaotic manner of green tax collection
At Delhi’s 154 entry points, green tax collection often creates bottlenecks due to manual and haphazard processes. Of these, only 11 are equipped with RFID systems, exacerbating de lays and pollution. On average, 1,05,989 commercial vehicles enter the city every day. Of this, around 70,000 vehicles are cabs.
Possible solution: Expand RFID-based contactless systems for smooth tax collection. Create dedicated lanes for commercial and non-commercial vehicles to reduce congestion.
4) Anti-smog guns, more hype than help
Deployed in three shifts across the city, anti-smog guns spray water to settle dust but often obstruct traffic and waste resources. They hinder the movement of traffic by blocking one lane of busy roads during peak hours. The sights of cabs or private cars tailing smoke-guns to clean their windscreen are all too common! According to official data, 200 anti-smog guns have been deployed in the city.
Possible solution: Assess the utility of anti-smog guns with a data-driven approach. Deploy them during non-peak hours to minimise congestion and focus, instead, on long-term dust control measures.
5 Parking fee hikes need better public transport
Increasing parking fees under GRAP aims to deter private vehicles but overlooks Delhi’s glaring public transport gaps. Delhi Metro is the most preferred modes of transport, but last-mile connectivity is still a big challenge. Delhi currently has 7,683 buses, including govtrun DTC and cluster buses, but the number is significantly lower than the demand. On an average, 70 buses – both DTC and cluster – break down in the city every day, causing significant traffic congestion and inconvenience to commuters.
There is no parking management plan either. In 2020, the Supreme Court had directed formulation of a comprehensive parking policy, which is nowhere in sight.
Possible solution: Once the last-mile connectivity of metro improves, DTC buses are adequate and reliable and there is a single ticketing of all local commuting options, the use of private vehicles will come down on its own.
While GRAP’s intent to curb air pollution is commendable, its execution is often devoid of ground realities. For meaningful change, Delhi needs long-term, structural reforms that address pollution at its roots rather than relying on temporary fixes that disrupt lives and livelihoods.
What is GRAP?
GRAP is a set of emergency pollution-control measures ?rst formulated in 2016 and implemented from 2017 onwards under the guidance of the Supreme Court and various environmental authorities. It operates in stages, with restrictions escalating as pollution worsens.
Expert opinions
GRAP measures are short-term emergency responses, not long-term solutions. The city needs year-round actions like fleet electrification, better public transport, green construction technology, and effective waste management to eliminate the need for GRAP. —Anumita RoyChowdhury | Executive director, CSE
Real estate must adopt dust-control measures and sustainable practices like prefabrication and ready-mix concrete. Anti-smog guns and mechanised sweeping vehicles should have staggered schedules to reduce congestion-induced pollution—Sunil Dahiya | Founder, Envirocatalysts
