The national capital woke up to hazardous air quality on Sunday as pollution levels slipped deep into the ‘very poor’ category and touched ‘severe’ levels across multiple parts of Delhi-NCR.

A thick blanket of smog reduced visibility across the city, with calm morning winds trapping pollutants close to the surface, worsening respiratory discomfort for residents.

According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 372 at 6:30 a.m., placing it firmly in the ‘very poor’ category.

Several areas record ‘severe’ AQI

Pollution levels worsened sharply in several parts of the city where AQI values crossed the 400 mark, signalling ‘severe’ air quality.

The most polluted areas included:

  • Wazirpur: 425
  • RK Puram: 418
  • Bawana: 410
  • Rohini: 409
  • Dwarka: 401

Most other monitoring stations reported readings between 300 and 400, reflecting widespread toxic air.

In the NCR, air quality also remained grim — Faridabad (312), Gurugram (325), Greater Noida (308), Ghaziabad (322) and Noida (301) all fell into the ‘very poor’ category.

Weather and visibility

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) attributed the pollution spike to calm winds and temperature inversion that prevented dispersion of pollutants.

  • Visibility: 900 metres at Safdarjung, 1,300 metres at Palam
  • Wind speed: Around 4 kmph
  • Maximum temperature: 30.5°C (three degrees below normal)
  • Minimum temperature: 19.4°C
  • Humidity: 73% (Saturday evening)

The combination of light winds, cool temperatures, and high humidity led to dense smog formation, worsening air stagnation overnight.

Experts warn of worsening conditions

Saturday night’s AQI stood at 303, already in the ‘very poor’ range, but overnight stagnation pushed levels to ‘severe’ by morning.

Environmental experts have warned that air quality may deteriorate further in the coming days unless strong northwesterly winds or rainfall help clear the atmosphere.

With stubble burning in neighbouring states and local emissions from vehicles and construction continuing unabated, Delhi’s pollution crisis shows little sign of easing.