Dense fog, toxic smog delay trains as Delhi records 'very poor' AQI

People seen huddling around bonfires to counter the severe cold near Rajghat in Delhi (Image: Screengrab | @PTI_News/X)

• Dense fog in Delhi disrupts trains and daily life, worsening winter chill
• Delhi's AQI dropped to 332; many areas report "severe" pollution levels.
• Air quality expected to remain "very poor" for six days, dense fog to persist

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Delhi woke up to dense fog, reducing visibility at several locations, leading to delays in the movement of trains and inconvenience for passengers at the New Delhi Railway Station.

Early morning visuals from Kartavya Path showed the capital enveloped in fog, intensifying the winter chill. Near Rajghat, people were seen huddling around bonfires to keep warm as cold and pollution combined to make conditions harsh. Similar scenes were reported from several parts of the city as a grey haze lingered.

Smog was visible around key arterial roads and residential zones. At Dhaula Kuan, the air quality index was recorded at 252, placing it in the “Poor” category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reported by ANI.

Conditions were far worse in other areas. Monitoring stations in Akshardham and Anand Vihar reported AQI readings of 410, categorised as “Severe”, while ITO recorded an AQI of 379, falling in the “very poor” range. Around India Gate, the AQI stood at 303, also in the “Very Poor” category, CPCB data showed.

Delhi remained under a thick blanket of fog and smog on Friday, disrupting daily life across the capital as air quality deteriorated sharply after a short spell of improvement earlier this week.

By Friday afternoon, Delhi’s overall 24-hour average AQI slipped back into the “very poor” category at 332, worsening from 234 recorded on Thursday and 271 at the same time a day earlier.

Out of 38 functional air quality monitoring stations in the city, eight reported “severe” pollution levels with AQI readings above 400. These included Anand Vihar, Bawana, DTU, Jahangirpuri, Narela, Nehru Nagar, Rohini and Vivek Vihar. Twenty stations remained in the “very poor” category, while nine were marked “poor”.

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

Data from the Decision Support System for Air Quality Management indicated that vehicular emissions were the largest contributor to Delhi’s pollution load on Wednesday, accounting for 19.7 per cent, followed by industries in and around the city at 10.1 per cent and residential sources at 4.9 per cent.

Among NCR districts, Jhajjar in Haryana contributed the highest share at 20 per cent.

The Air Quality Early Warning System has forecast that Delhi’s air quality is likely to remain in the “very poor” category over the next six days. Weather conditions are expected to offer little relief, with the India Meteorological Department predicting dense fog to persist.

The city recorded a maximum temperature of 22.3 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 7.7 degrees Celsius, with relative humidity fluctuating between 66 per cent and 100 per cent.