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Delhi NCR Construction ban intensifies as the air quality worsens

By Rishabh Chamoli | 2022-11-07

Delhi NCR is infamous for an alarming Air Quality Index (AQI) around this time of the year. With the AQI consistently being graded very poor since Diwali, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has implemented Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), including a ban on construction and demolition activities.

Alarmed by the rising pollution levels in Delhi NCR, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) held an emergency meeting on October 30, 2022, to implement strict curbs under the third stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). The region has witnessed an Air Quality Index (AQI) mostly above 300 since Diwali on October 24, 2022. The records were last worrisome in January 2022.

What are GRAP and its stages?
The GRAP is a set of measures followed in Delhi NCR to check air pollution levels. It is broadly divided into four stages, depending on the consistent AQI in the region.

While the regions AQI has been averaging very poor over the last week, the smog has been nearing the severe zone, which is expected to make a similar impact on the AQI from November 1, 2022. Experts believe that wind speed and direction will play a role in this.

What measures entail under Stage III of the GRAP?
Under Stage III, a series of strict bans have been implemented on the construction, demolition and mining activities in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurgaon, among other parts of the NCR. Non polluting activities, such as plumbing, electrical, carpentry and interior decoration works, will be allowed.

Some operations facing the ban are excavation, boring, drilling, welding, loading and unloading of construction materials, drainage work, vehicular movement on an unpaved road, laying sewer and water lines, road construction, waterproofing, cutting and fixing of tiles, stones and other repair works. To ensure non violation of the construction ban, the Delhi government has put around 586 teams with officials from various departments to work on the same.

The ban, however, will not apply to projects dealing with national security, defence, railways and metro.

Under Stage IV of the GRAP, the ban will include curbs like restricting the entry of trucks in Delhi NCR, only 50 percent workforce to operate out of office in public and private sectors, and temporary closure of educational institutions, to name a few.

Will property prices be impacted in the region?
According to experts, construction bans have a negligible impact on property prices. The construction ban, however, could delay project delivery. Currently, Greater Noida West has more than 1.37 lakh units under construction, and a construction ban could affect project deliveries in the future.

Furthermore, real estate prices in most cities are not so much determined by environmental concerns as by access, proximity to city centres and major employment centres, urban mobility, and affordability. And market studies reveal that Delhis homes are no cleaner than motorways when it comes to air quality, but the popular assumption is that residences are pollution-free zones. And market sentiment is based on assumptions, no matter how true or false they might be.

In fact, during the monsoon season, Mumbai is also plagued by floods, but property prices remain steady. In terms of Delhi NCR, the region has been very active. Despite a restriction on the new housing supply, housing sales have been strong.