After 3 months of hazardous air, Delhi AQI improves, remains 'moderate'

Delhi's air quality remained in the 'moderate' category on Sunday after rainfall eased pollution, ending 103 days of hazardous AQI, though poor levels may return

After over three months of hazardous air, Delhi’s air quality has shown sustained improvement, remaining in the moderate category on Sunday. Most monitoring stations reported AQI in the moderate range, though a few sites continued to register poor levels, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. The improvement follows rainfall on Friday, which cleared airborne pollutants across the national capital and neighbouring cities.

 

According to CPCB data, the following AQI readings on Sunday showed marked improvement:

 

Anand Vihar: 224

ITO: 109

Bawana: 141

RK Puram: 146

Mundka: 143

 

As per the AQI classification, readings between 0 and 50 are considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 ‘severe’.

 

Delhi AQI improves after 103 days of hazardous air 

After nearly three-and-a-half months of hazardous air, Delhi’s air quality on Saturday returned to the ‘moderate’ category, with an average AQI of 192. According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), the last time the capital recorded ‘moderate’ air quality was October 13, 2025, when the AQI stood at 189, reported PTI.

 

The improvement was largely attributed to Friday’s rainfall, the first spell of 2026 and the highest January rainfall in two years, which led to a sharp drop in temperatures and helped clear airborne pollutants.

 

Between October 1 and October 13, 2025, Delhi saw nine days of ‘moderate’ air quality before pollution levels deteriorated sharply. CREA’s analysis shows that from October 14, 2025 onwards, the city recorded prolonged hazardous air, with 26 days of ‘poor’ AQI, 66 days of ‘very poor’ AQI, and 10 days of ‘severe’ readings.

 

However, the relief may be short-lived. The Air Quality Early Warning System forecasts that Delhi’s air quality is likely to range from ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’ over the next six days.

 

Delhi weather outlook this week 

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted a further drop in temperatures, with minimums expected to hover between 4–6 degrees Celsius. Skies are likely to remain partly cloudy, with shallow to moderate fog during morning hours.

 

Through the week, the IMD expects generally cloudy conditions and has issued a yellow alert for Tuesday. One or two spells of light rain, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds of 30–40 kmph, are likely during the early morning to forenoon hours. Another spell of very light to light rain may occur in the afternoon or evening.