Delhi’s air crisis deepens: Hazardous haze grips capital, multiple localities record ‘severe’ AQI

Delhi AQI

Residents of the national capital woke to a thick, hazardous haze on Monday morning, with the city’s overall air quality entrenched in the ‘very poor’ category and four key areas plunging into the ‘severe’ zone.

Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), reflected on the Sameer app, showed Delhi’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) standing at 366 at 7am. By 7.20 am, the readings in several localities had deteriorated sharply.

Narela recorded an AQI of 418, followed by Bawana (408), Wazirpur (403) and Anand Vihar (402). As per CPCB classification, an AQI between 401 and 500 is categorised as ‘severe’, a level that poses a risk even to healthy individuals.

This follows a similarly grim Sunday morning, where the city’s overall AQI was recorded at 377, also in the ‘very poor’ band. The persistent pollution underscores a worsening environmental challenge as winter conditions set in.

The hazardous air was accompanied by dense fog, which triggered significant transport chaos. According to reports from news agency PTI, several trains were rescheduled at New Delhi Railway Station due to low visibility.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a yellow alert, advising residents to “be aware” of moderate fog at most places and dense fog in isolated areas during the early hours. The forecast predicts moderate to shallow fog from Tuesday through Thursday.

While the IMD had earlier indicated that ‘cold day’ conditions were likely in isolated pockets of Delhi, no weather station met the official criterion on Sunday. The primary public concern, however, remains the dangerously polluted air, with the ‘severe’ readings in multiple neighbourhoods signalling a pressing health emergency for millions of citizens.