Delhi's air quality slips to 'severe' category for 1st time this year

Delhi recorded its first "severe" air quality day of the year on Tuesday, with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 428, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The overall AQI data, which is usually updated by 4 pm every day, was delayed by several hours. On Monday, the CPCB data was updated after 11 pm.

Officials did not immediately provide a reason for the disruption.

The air quality, which was in the "very poor" category for the last several days, deteriorated further on Tuesday morning due to stagnant weather conditions and local emissions.

A "severe" AQI indicates hazardous pollution levels that pose serious health risks, affecting even healthy individuals and severely impacting those with pre-existing respiratory or cardiac conditions.

This is the first time in 2025 that Delhi's air quality has entered the "severe" zone. The last time the city recorded such poor air quality was in December 2024, the CPCB's data showed.

Amid worsening pollution levels, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced that schools up to Class V will temporarily operate in a hybrid mode — both online and offline — to protect children's health.

Chairing a high-level review meeting, Gupta directed for a strict enforcement of Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), increased the number of enforcement teams to 2,088 and ordered immediate action against the construction sites violating pollution norms.

She also instructed agencies to control dust by paving open areas, installing 300 mist-spray systems by November 30, ensuring proper waste disposal and curbing open and biomass burning.

Gupta said the Delhi government is tackling the pollution crisis on a "mission mode", with full seriousness and accountability.

According to the Decision Support System (DSS) for air quality forecasting, stubble burning contributed 6.5 per cent to Delhi's pollution on Tuesday, while the transport sector accounted for around 18.2 per cent.

For Wednesday, the contribution from stubble burning is projected to be 5.3 per cent, while transport-related emissions are expected to rise slightly to 18.9 per cent.

Satellite-based data on Monday reported 133 farm fires in Punjab, 30 in Haryana, 154 in Uttar Pradesh and one in Delhi.

The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi has forecast that the city's air quality is likely to remain in the "very poor" category from Wednesday.

On the weather front, temperatures continued to dip, with the minimum recorded at 10.2 degrees Celsius, 4.1 notches below normal, and the maximum at 27.7 degrees Celsius, 1.8 notches below normal.

For Wednesday, the weather department has forecast shallow fog in the morning, with the maximum and minimum temperatures likely to settle around 27 and 11 degrees Celsius, respectively.