Delhi AQI remains 'very poor' as toxic smog, dense fog cover city affecting visibility

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• Delhi AQI nears 'severe' with dense smog and poor visibility across the city
• Delhi-NCR areas report AQI over 400, indicating hazardous air quality.
• Fog and cold worsen pollution; discomfort likely to persist.

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Delhi woke up on Sunday to another grim morning as hazardous air quality and dense smog continued to engulf the national capital, pushing pollution levels close to the ‘severe’ bracket. The city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was logged at 391 around 6 am, keeping it within the “very poor” category and underscoring the persistence of winter pollution.

A thick haze reduced visibility across several parts of the city. In the Akshardham area, smog hung heavily in the air, with monitoring stations recording an AQI of 445, officially labelled “severe” by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Similar scenes were reported near India Gate, where the AQI stood at 378, again falling in the “very poor” range. Anand Vihar, a long-standing pollution hotspot, also reported a reading of 445, placing it in the same critical category.

Data from other monitoring stations painted an equally worrying picture. ITO recorded an AQI of 403, Wazirpur touched 433, Rohini stood at 424, and Patparganj also reported 424, indicating that poor air quality was not confined to isolated pockets but spread widely across the capital.

The CPCB categorises air quality as “good” (0–50), “satisfactory” (51–100), “moderate” (101–200), “poor” (201–300), “very poor” (301–400), and “severe” (401–500). On Saturday as well, most areas in Delhi remained trapped between the very poor and severe ranges, highlighting that the crisis has shown little sign of easing.

Weather conditions have only added to the problem. Delhi’s temperature was recorded at 7.6 degrees Celsius at 7 am on Saturday. According to forecasts, Sunday is likely to see dense fog, particularly during morning hours. While the maximum temperature may hover near 22 degrees Celsius, the minimum is expected to dip to around 7 degrees. Moderate fog is predicted to continue from Monday (December 29) to Wednesday (December 31), though no official warnings have been issued so far.

Pollution levels were also elevated across the National Capital Region. Ghaziabad’s Indirapuram registered an AQI of 394, while Vasundhara touched 429. Noida fared no better, with Sector 125 at 414 and Sector 1 at 443. In Gurugram, Sector 51 recorded 355, and Vikas Sadan stood at 304.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department issued an update for Uttarakhand, forecasting light to very light snowfall above 3,500 metres on December 30 and 31, along with rainfall in the plains. Dense fog affected Udham Singh Nagar and Haridwar, while Dehradun saw clearer skies and relatively warmer daytime conditions.

With pollution remaining stubbornly high and foggy weather expected to persist, residents across Delhi-NCR are bracing for continued discomfort and unhealthy air in the days ahead.