The situation in Delhi is bad due to pollution. The situation is such that even breathing becomes difficult here. AQI in the capital has reached its worst level in the last seven years in the month of December. This year, December was the worst since 2018 with an average AQI of 349, while the contribution of stubble in PM 2.5 pollution was only 3.5 percent.

An official said that in December 2018, the average air quality index (AQI) of the capital was recorded at 360. According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the average AQI was 294 in December 2024, 348 in 2023, 319 in 2022, 336 in 2021, 332 in 2020, 337 in 2019 and 301 in 2015.

AQI remained in severe category for 5 days

This month, air quality in Delhi was recorded in ‘severe’ category for five days. There was such a situation in Delhi for six days in December last year. On Monday too, Delhi’s air quality reached ‘severe’ category with 401 at 4 pm, while on Sunday it was recorded in ‘very poor’ category with 390.

Increase in pollution due to stubble?

According to information provided by CPCB in response to an application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) by environmentalist Amit Gupta, the contribution of stubble to Delhi’s PM 2.5 pollution was only 3.5 per cent till December 5 this year, while Delhi-NCR remains one of the most polluted regions in the country.

The CPCB said it relied on the 2018 TERI-ARAI source apportionment study to assess the contribution of different sources to PM2.5 and PM10 pollution in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR). She said no comprehensive source apportionment study has been conducted since then.

There has been a decline in stubble burning in the last few years

However, daily average data from the Decision Support System (DSS) of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, shows that the contribution of stubble burning to PM 2.5 levels during the October-December period has declined steadily over the last few years.

The share of stubble burning was 13 percent in 2020 and 2021, declined to 9 percent in 2022, increased marginally to 11 percent in 2023 and 10.6 percent in 2024, after which it declined to 3.5 percent in 2025.

The pollution level in Delhi has once again reached the bad category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality in the national capital remained in the very poor category on Sunday and the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 390. The Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert of very dense fog for Monday.

The maximum and minimum temperatures in Delhi on Monday are likely to be around 22 and 7 degrees Celsius respectively. According to data from CPCB’s Sameer App, 19 monitoring stations in Delhi reported air quality in the severe category, with Anand Vihar recording the highest AQI of 457, while other places recorded very poor levels.

The Meteorological Department said that the minimum temperature recorded in the city was 6.3 degrees Celsius, which was 0.5 degrees less than the season’s average, while the maximum temperature was 22.5 degrees Celsius, which was 2.1 degrees more than the season’s average. Humidity was recorded at 100 percent at 5.30 pm.

According to CPCB standards, AQI between 0 to 50 is considered good, 51 to 100 satisfactory, 101 to 200 moderate, 201 to 300 poor, 301 to 400 very poor and 401 to 500 severe.

The level of pollution in the capital Delhi has increased so much that people are now forced to stay in their homes to breathe. This situation has been made more difficult by the harsh cold and fog. Even on the morning of 28th December, people are facing the double blow of pollution and weather.

There was dense smog and fog in the morning, due to which visibility became extremely low and drivers had to travel with headlights on. On one hand, the plans of those celebrating the New Year away from pollution are also getting ruined because due to dense fog, flights as well as trains are running late by hours and getting cancelled.

Delhi’s air becomes deadly

According to the government app Sameer, the average air quality index of Delhi was recorded around 400 at 8.00 am on Sunday, which falls in the very poor category. This level of pollution clearly shows that the air is not fit to breathe. Due to persistently high AQI, the risk for the elderly, children and respiratory patients has increased.

The situation worsens in these areas

The situation in many areas of Delhi appeared more serious than average. AQI was recorded at 445 in Anand Vihar, while it reached 447 in Shadipur. Wazirpur 437, Narela 435, Jahangirpuri 433, Nehru Nagar 431, Rohini and Ashok Vihar 429, Vivek Vihar 428, Bawan and Okhla Phase 2 423, Patparganj 423, Punjabi Bagh 420, Chandni Chowk 418, DTU and RK Puram 414, Mundka 409, Dwarka Sector 8 and ITO 401 were registered. These figures show that almost the entire Delhi is in the grip of poisonous air.

#WATCH Poor visibility witnessed at the runway at IGI airport. Delhi airport issued a passenger advisory at 8 am stating, “All flight operations are continuing normally as visibility at the airport improves. Passengers are requested to contact their respective airlines for the… pic.twitter.com/l6PhP7Fjvm

— ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2025

Yellow fog alert issued

The Meteorological Department had already issued a yellow fog alert for December 28, which proved to be correct on Sunday morning. The minimum temperature was recorded at 7.8 degrees Celsius, due to which the intensity of fog further increased along with cold. The lack of cold winds and stable weather conditions kept pollutants trapped in the air, causing the layer of smog and fog to become denser. In such a situation, experts are advising to be careful and avoid unnecessary going out.

Dense smog has once again spread over Delhi and surrounding areas and the air quality has become very poor. Meanwhile, China has set itself an example by talking about this ‘common fight’ on pollution with India. China says that it has reduced pollution significantly with continuous efforts in the last decade and is ready to share its experiences with India.

China compared Delhi’s pollution in pictures

Chinese Embassy spokeswoman Yu Jing posted on social media platform X that both China and India are struggling with pollution amid rapid urbanization. He shared pictures comparing the air quality of Beijing and New Delhi. On one hand, Beijing’s AQI was 68, which falls in the ‘satisfactory’ category, while Delhi’s AQI was 447, which is in the ‘severe’ level.

Yu Jing wrote, ‘China also once struggled with severe smog. Due to our continuous efforts in the last decade, there has been a lot of improvement. In the coming days, we will share our experience through small series.

Pollution situation in Delhi is very serious

Commission for Air Quality Management has implemented Stage-4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). This includes ban on construction work, ban on polluting vehicles and other emergency measures. Delhi’s winter pollution crisis is repeated every year.

What did China do to fight pollution?

• Temporary steps starting with the 2008 Beijing Olympics laid the basis for further policies.
• In 2013, considering pollution as ‘serious’, a National Action Plan was started.
• Changes in coal-based power plants and tightening of emission standards of factories.
• Reduce dependence on coal and increase renewable energy.
• Worked closely with neighboring areas (such as Tianjin and Hebei) to achieve common goals.
• Made big investments, like spending on pollution control increased manifold from 2013 to 2017.
• Promoted electric vehicles and public transport.

What results did China get from this?

• PM2.5 levels in Beijing decreased by 35% between 2013-2017.
• Last year, 290 days of good air were recorded in Beijing, which is a record.
• China reduced pollution the most in the world.

What is the lesson for Delhi from China?

China’s experience shows that pollution can be reduced through strict policies, regional coordination, transparent data, consistent funding and strict enforcement. National Clean Air Program is also running in India, but experts say that regional cooperation and faster implementation is needed. China has said that it is ready to share this journey with India.

This incident shows the potential for environmental cooperation between the two countries, while people in Delhi wait for clean air.

The serious problem of pollution persists in the national capital of the country. Due to air pollution in Delhi, health related problems of people are increasing. Meanwhile, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa has given a big statement. While apologizing to the people of Delhi, he said that it is impossible for any government to completely eliminate pollution in just nine-ten months. Along with Aam Aadmi Party, he also held Congress responsible for this.

Delhi government minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, “Our government in Delhi is trying to improve the average AQI every month. While apologizing to the people of Delhi, I want to say that it is impossible for any government to clean up all the pollution in 9-10 months. But I want to tell you, people of Delhi, that the Aam Aadmi Party government has been dishonest and deceitful, we have improved it and reduced the AQI.

Delhi: Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa says, “…I want to apologize to the people of Delhi and say that it is impossible for any government to completely eliminate pollution in just nine-ten months. However, I want to assure Delhi residents that we have worked tirelessly to… pic.twitter.com/xYiY6zAJDQ

— IANS (@ians_india) December 16, 2025

Pollution disease due to AAP and Congress- Sirsa

Sirsa further said, “Only if we continue to reduce pollution in this manner, it is possible to provide clean air to Delhi. This is the disease of the previous government of Aam Aadmi Party for 10-12 years and Congress for 15 years. Now when Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi ji talk about wearing masks, I want to ask them, where were your masks last year? Last year there was more pollution than this.

‘Pollution in Delhi harms people’s health’

He also said, “Last year there were dirtier days than this.” Last year, if we talk about today, AQI was 380 but neither Rahul Gandhi nor Priyanka Gandhi was seen. These people were associated with Aam Aadmi Party. Today he has remembered everything. Of course there is pollution in Delhi, children’s health is being harmed but this is the contribution of Aam Aadmi Party, which we are trying to fix. We are taking action every day like doctors, but the Aam Aadmi Party has given us the task of making people sick.

Let us tell you that on Tuesday (December 16) morning, some improvement was seen in the air quality (AQI) of the national capital, where the AQI was 377 as compared to 498 a day earlier. However, there was fog in the city and visibility was also low.

In view of the serious problem of pollution in Delhi, an important decision has been taken regarding outdoor physical sports activities. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has directed the state governments of Delhi and NCR to immediately stop all outdoor physical sports activities. Also warned that continuing such events amidst poor air quality can pose a serious threat to the health of children.

CAQM has written a letter to the Chief Secretaries of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh on Saturday (December 13), saying that it is concerned that despite the instructions given earlier as per the Supreme Court order of November 19, some schools and institutions of Delhi-NCR are still conducting outdoor sports activities.

Instructions to create awareness about health risks

“Continuing outdoor physical activities during poor air quality is against the spirit and intent of the Supreme Court’s observations and the Commission’s directions,” CAQM said. In the letter, the commission asked to postpone the physical sports competitions to be held in November and December. It directed the NCR state governments and the Delhi government to ensure strict and immediate compliance of the earlier instructions, issue necessary instructions to all schools, educational institutions, sports bodies and local authorities to close outdoor physical sports activities and sensitize schools and parents about the health risks involved.

Instructions to closely monitor and take appropriate action

CAQM also asked the authorities to closely monitor compliance at the field level and take appropriate action in case of any violations. On Saturday, the panel took the strictest action under its air pollution control plan, GRAP, which includes banning all construction and demolition activities in Delhi-NCR following a sharp rise in pollution levels amid extreme weather conditions.

What are the restrictions under GRAP Stage IV?

Under Stage IV of GRAP, entry of trucks in Delhi has been stopped, except those carrying essential goods or providing essential services. However, movement of CNG, LNG, electric and BS-VI diesel trucks has been allowed. There is a ban on plying of registered diesel heavy goods vehicles (BS-IV and below) in Delhi, with exemption again only for essential services.

Ban on construction and demolition activities also

All construction and demolition activities are banned, including public projects like highways, roads, flyovers, power transmission lines, pipelines and telecom, which are usually allowed in the lower stages. Schools in Delhi and the worst-affected NCR districts have been asked to run classes not only for primary students but also for higher classes (VI to IX and XI) in hybrid mode (online and physical), with students given the option to attend online classes wherever possible.

Under Stage IV, state governments have been asked to consider taking additional emergency measures such as closing colleges and educational institutions, shutting down non-essential commercial activities and even imposing odd-even rules for vehicles if the pollution situation worsens.

Restrictions under GRAP apply in Delhi in winter

It is noteworthy that during winter, restrictions are imposed in the Delhi-NCR region under GRAP, which divides the air quality into four stages – Stage I (poor, AQI 201-300), Stage II (very poor, AQI 301-400), Stage III (severe, AQI 401-450), and Stage IV (very severe, AQI above 450). In winter, due to bad weather conditions, smoke from vehicles, stubble burning, firecrackers and other local sources of pollution, the air quality in Delhi-NCR reaches dangerous levels.

On Thursday (11 December) morning in Delhi-NCR, people started the day with severe cold. Light fog, smog and cold winds have brought a big change in the weather of the capital. There has been a slight decline in pollution due to increase in wind speed, but visibility still remains low in many areas. IMD has predicted clear sky and drop in minimum temperature.

light fog and cold wind

There was light fog in Delhi-NCR on Thursday (11 December) morning. The temperature is continuously going down and people shiver from the intense cold of the morning. According to the Meteorological Department, today the maximum temperature can be between 23-25°C and the minimum temperature can be between 7-9°C.

The wind is blowing from the north-west direction at a speed of 5-10 km/hour, due to which the weather is feeling colder. There was light fog in the morning in Delhi’s North, South, West, Central, East and Shahdara. Whereas in Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad, visibility was slightly reduced due to thin layer of fog.

Slight reduction in pollution, but AQI still ‘bad’

There has been some improvement in pollution today due to increase in wind speed, but the air quality has still not come out of the ‘bad’ category. According to CPCB data at 6 am, the average AQI of Delhi was recorded just above 300.

AQI was 338 in Jahangirpuri, while 317 was recorded in Vivek Vihar and 320 in Wazirpur. On the other hand, the air level of Anand Vihar remained around 300. 305 was recorded in Chandni Chowk, 308 in RK Puram and 302 in Punjabi Bagh.

IIT Delhi area remained in better condition, where AQI was recorded around 210. There was dense fog and smog in the morning in areas like India Gate, Dutta Path, ITO and Anand Vihar, due to which visibility was very low and vehicles had to move at very slow speed.

The temperature will drop further in the coming days

According to the Meteorological Department, both cold and fog may increase in Delhi-NCR in the next 3 to 5 days. On December 12, the sky is likely to be partly cloudy and there is a possibility of light fog in the morning.

On 13 and 14 December, due to the effect of western disturbance, clouds may appear and moderate fog can be seen in the morning. The weather will be clear again on 15th and 16th December, but light to moderate fog may continue in the morning.

IMD says that a further drop of 2 to 3 degrees in the minimum temperature is possible in the next 48 hours. After this, there may be a slight increase in temperature, but the effect of cold will remain.

The pollution level in Delhi remained in the ‘very poor’ category on Sunday (7 December). The 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of the capital was recorded at 308. According to the ‘Sameer’ app of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), till evening the air quality at 29 monitoring stations in the city was recorded in the ‘very poor’ category and among these, Bawana had the highest AQI (336).

Which sector contributes how much to pollution?

According to the Decision Support System (DSS) for Delhi’s air quality management, the transport sector contributed 16.5 percent to pollution. After this, industrial areas in Delhi and surrounding areas contributed 8.1 percent, residential sources contributed four percent and construction activities contributed 2.3 percent. Among the neighboring districts of NCR, Jhajjar contributed 13.9 percent, Rohtak 5.2 percent, Sonipat 6 percent and Jind 2.5 percent.

Considerable fluctuation in AQI in Delhi

A lot of fluctuations were seen in the air quality of Delhi this week. AQI was 279 on Sunday, 304 on Monday, 372 on Tuesday, 342 on Wednesday, 304 on Thursday and 327 on Friday. The air was recorded in ‘very poor’ category all day. India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the maximum temperature on Sunday was 24.7 degrees Celsius, which is 0.1 degrees below normal, while the minimum temperature was recorded at 8 degrees Celsius, which is 1.6 degrees below normal.

The relative humidity was 71 percent in the evening and 92 percent in the morning. For Monday (08 December), the Meteorological Department has predicted the minimum temperature to be 10 degrees Celsius and the maximum to be 25 degrees Celsius.

According to the app, the AQI in Delhi at 10 am on Sunday was 302 and 26 stations recorded air quality in the ‘very poor’ category. According to CPCB, AQI is considered in the category of 0-50 ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’ and 401-500 ‘severe’.

The condition of pollution in Delhi is not hidden from anyone. Many times the situation becomes such that even breathing becomes difficult. But in the month of November, not Delhi but Ghaziabad of Uttar Pradesh was the most polluted city in the country. This shocking claim has been made in a report.

The monthly average PM 2.5 concentration in Ghaziabad in November was 224 micrograms per cubic meter and the air quality remained above national standards for all 30 days. In fact, the report of think tank ‘Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air’ states that Noida, Bahadurgarh, Delhi, Hapur, Greater Noida, Baghpat, Sonipat, Meerut and Rohtak were included in the 10 most polluted cities along with Ghaziabad.

According to the report, six of these cities were from Uttar Pradesh. After that there were three places of Haryana and Delhi. Except Delhi, all other cities included in the top 10 recorded higher PM 2.5 levels compared to last year.

Delhi stood fourth

Delhi was the fourth most polluted city in November, with the monthly average PM 2.5 concentration at 215 micrograms per cubic metre, almost double the October average of 107. The city experienced 23 very bad days, six severe days and one poor day.

CREA said that the impact of stubble burning was less this year, its share in Delhi’s pollution in November was on average 7 percent, whereas last year it was 20 percent. CREA said that this year the maximum effect of stubble burning was 22 percent, which is much less than the 38 percent recorded last year.

The wind was not good as per the standards even for a day

Barring Bahadurgarh, the air in none of these 10 cities remained within the safe daily limits under national standards for even a single day. Many other cities including Charkhi Dadri, Bulandshahr, Jind, Muzaffarnagar, Gurugram, Khurja, Bhiwani, Karnal, Yamunanagar and Faridabad also recorded PM 2.5 levels above the limit every day.

Pollution increased compared to last year

CREA analyst Manoj Kumar said, “Despite a significant reduction in the impact of stubble burning, 20 out of 29 cities in NCR recorded higher pollution levels than last year and in many cities not a single day was still recorded within the NAAQS limits. This clearly indicates that the major drivers are year-round sources such as transportation, industry, power plants and other combustion sources. “Without sector-specific emissions reductions, cities will continue to violate the standards.”

More pollution in 23 cities of Rajasthan

At the state level, Rajasthan had the highest number of polluted cities, with pollution levels exceeding the national limit in 23 out of 34 cities in November. Haryana had 22 out of 25 cities where pollution levels were above the national standard, while 14 out of 20 cities in Uttar Pradesh, 9 out of 12 cities in Madhya Pradesh, 9 out of 14 cities in Odisha and 7 out of 8 cities in Punjab also reported high levels.

The level of pollution in the national capital Delhi is not showing any signs of decreasing. On Thursday morning, December 4, the air quality index was recorded in the ‘hazardous’ category with 335. This level indicates a very bad situation for the fourth consecutive day, due to which the serious threat to people’s health has increased. According to CPCB, the situation may remain worse for the next few days.

In many areas of Delhi, AQI was recorded at 372 on Tuesday and 342 on Wednesday. In Nehru Nagar this level had reached 378 on Tuesday. The air quality in RK Puram, Burari, Anand Vihar, Mundka, Bawana, Vivek Vihar, Alipore, Shadipur and North Campus remained in the ‘very poor’ category.

Delhi’s air will not improve!

According to the air quality early warning system, the AQI in the capital is expected to remain ‘very poor’ for the next few days. The effect of pollution may increase further due to fog at night and less wind during the day. On Wednesday, the contribution of smoke emanating from vehicles was recorded at 16 percent, while on Thursday it is estimated to be 14.3 percent. In today’s air quality of major cities, AQI 278 was recorded in Delhi, Noida 268, Ghaziabad 313, Gurugram 276 and Greater Noida 274.

Drop in temperature, coldest day recorded

Whereas in Delhi-NCR, Wednesday 3rd December was the coldest day of December, when the maximum temperature was recorded at 23.7 degrees Celsius, which is 1.6 degrees less than normal. The minimum temperature fell to 5.1 degrees Celsius, which is 4 degrees below normal. IMD has predicted moderate fog on Thursday also and the maximum temperature will be 23 degrees and the minimum temperature will be six degrees.

According to senior scientists of IMD, the period of severe winter is going to start in NCR. According to the Meteorological Department, after December 4, the night temperature may suddenly drop to record levels and cold winds during the day may bring the temperature further down. The minimum temperature in Delhi today is expected to be 5 degrees, while in Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Faridabad and Greater Noida it will be around 8 degrees. The maximum day temperature will also be around 22 degrees. In such a situation, the coming 48 hours may prove to be challenging for Delhi-NCR in terms of both pollution and cold.