Page 13 - Air Quality Index

Rain, thunderstorms likely in Delhi as Himachal reels under monsoon fury

Delhi to see light rain and satisfactory air quality through the week, while Himachal Pradesh faces heavy rainfall with significant monsoon damage

IMD forecasts rain in Delhi today; AQI slips further to moderate range

Rain likely in Delhi till August 8, says IMD; air quality drops to moderate. UP to witness more showers due to active monsoon and cyclonic circulation

Delhi sees cleanest July air in 7 years; heavy rains likely in Aug-Sept

Average AQI in the national capital for July drops to 78, with 29 'satisfactory' air days; IMD predicts above-normal rainfall in the second half of monsoon

Delhi gets cleanest July air in 7 years as average AQI drops to 78: CAQM

Delhi recorded its cleanest July air in seven years with the average Air Quality Index (AQI) falling to 78, in the 'satisfactory' category, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said on Thursday. The AQI this July was even better than 2020, when pollution levels had dropped significantly due to restrictions on movement and industrial activity during to the COVID-19 lockdown. According to the CAQM, the average AQI for July in previous years stood at 104 in 2018, 134 in 2019, 84 in 2020, 110 in 2021, 87 in 2022, 84 in 2023 and 96 in 2024. The month also saw the highest number of days with 'satisfactory' air quality, 29 this year compared to 16 in 2018, 12 in 2019, 25 in 2020, 20 in 2021, 25 in 2022, 26 in 2023 and 17 in 2024. For the January-July period, Delhi reported significant improvement in air quality with the average AQI dropping to 184 from 204 in 2024 and 183 in 2023. The AQI during the same period was 209 in 2022, 205 in 2021, 159 in 2020, 215 in 2019 and 217 in

Delhi to see light rain, thunderstorms today; AQI remains satisfactory

No major alerts issued as Delhi braces for light to moderate rain, thunderstorms and cloudy skies through month-end

Delhi-NCR records cleanest July in a decade, AQI remains 'satisfactory'

Among the monitoring stations, Punjabi Bagh recorded the lowest AQI at 50, followed closely by Bawana at 51 and Vivek Vihar at 55. All three readings fall in the 'good' category

Cloudy skies, light rain likely in Delhi today; orange alert in Uttarakhand

Delhi may see cloudy skies and light showers today as AQI stays satisfactory; Uttarakhand issues orange alert in six districts, shuts schools in Dehradun

CAQM defers fuel ban for end-of-life vehicles in Delhi-NCR to Nov

The Centre's panel on air quality in Delhi-NCR on Tuesday decided to put on hold the implementation of the fuel ban on end-of-life (EOL) or overage vehicles in the national capital until November 1, sources said. EOL vehicles are diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years. According to directions issued earlier, such vehicles are not to be given fuel in Delhi from July 1 irrespective of the states they are registered in. Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa last week requested the Commission For Air Quality Management (CAQM) to withhold action against such vehicles, calling the move "premature and potentially counterproductive", citing "operational and infrastructural challenges". Sources said the CAQM, at a review meeting, decided to put on hold the implementation of the directions in Delhi. The drive in Delhi will be launched along with five high-vehicle-density districts adjoining the national capital, including Gurugram, Faridabad,

Delhi under orange alert as monsoon arrives early, rain forecast all week

The IMD has forecast thunderstorms, gusty winds and rain throughout the week, while Delhi's air quality remains in the 'satisfactory' category amid monsoon showers

Delhi to launch ₹3.21 crore artificial rain project: How it will be done

Backed by IIT-Kanpur and IMD, the ₹3.21 crore project aims to trigger artificial rain over Delhi using cloud seeding technology to reduce PM levels and build evidence for future urban use

Delhi weather: IMD issues orange alert for heavy rainfall; AQI improves

In its advisory, the IMD warned of a moderate thunderstorm, cautioning against intense lightning in open areas, potential traffic snarls, and possible delays to flights and trains

Yellow alert issued in Delhi, IMD forecasts moderate rainfall till June 19

IMD has issued a yellow alert for Delhi till June 19, warning of thunderstorms, lightning and winds up to 50-60 kmph, with light to moderate rain likely during the early hours

IMD forecasts soaring temperatures as Delhi's AQI dips into poor zone

Delhi weather update: Residents in the capital woke up to hot and humid conditions on Monday, with temperatures likely to hit 42 degrees Celsius and minimums staying around 28 degrees Celsius

Delhi breathed better in 2025 compared to 2024: Environment Minister Sirsa

Delhi breathed easier between January to May as the AQI saw a significant improvement from last year, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Wednesday. Sirsa said the data reveal that the average AQI during these five months stood at 214, an improvement from 231 recorded during the same period in 2024. In addition, the average PM2.5 concentration for the period dropped to 95 micrograms per cubic metre, down from 111 micrograms per cubic metre in 2024, he added. PM2.5 are fine inhalable particles with a 2.5 micrometre or smaller diameter, and are the greatest health risk. The acceptable annual standard for PM2.5 is 40 micrograms per cubic metre. Delhi's air quality in May was the cleanest for the month in over a decade, Sirsa said. The average AQI for May was in the 'moderate' category an unusual achievement considering the historical trend of 'poor' air quality in previous years. "Unlike previous governments that drafted policies but failed in execution, our governme

CAQM mandates only CNG, electric vehicles for e-commerce fleets in NCR

From January 2026, no petrol or diesel vehicles can be added to aggregator fleets in NCR, with CAQM pushing for faster transition to clean mobility options

Delhi cabinet clears sanitation, dust plan to cut road pollution: CM

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday said the cabinet has approved a comprehensive sanitation and dust control plan for the Public Works Department (PWD). Under this plan, the cabinet has approved the procurement of advanced cleaning machines to reduce pollution on Delhi roads. In a statement, she said under this initiative, a range of equipment will be deployed on PWD-maintained roads to combat dust pollution. They include 250 water sprinkler machines integrated with anti-smog guns and 70 Mechanical Road Sweeping (MRS) machines integrated with 210 water sprinkler machines and anti-smog guns, 18 dump vehicles and 18 water tankers. All these machines are expected to be fully operational on Delhi roads before the onset of winter. The Environment Department will provide the necessary budget to the PWD under the 'Pollution Control and Emergency Measures' scheme for the deployment of the machines, she said. These machines will be used exclusively for dust cleaning on roads and c

Delhi weather: IMD predicts rain, thunderstorms for today, AQI drops to 195

Over the past week, light rain and thunderstorms have brought a slight drop in the maximum temperature

IMD issues yellow alert for rain in Delhi today, AQI improves to 136

Thunderstorms and rainfall are likely to continue across Delhi till May 25, while air quality has improved to the 'moderate' category after a dust storm in the region

Delhi-NCR air quality improves to 'poor', AQI drops to 298 post dust storm

Delhi-NCR air quality improves to 'poor' with AQI at 298 after dust storm, though areas like Anand Vihar Ashok Vihar and Aya Nagar continue to report 'very poor' levels

AAP-BJP spar over worsening air quality after dust storm batters Delhi

A sudden dust storm from Rajasthan engulfed Delhi, pushing air quality into the 'poor' zone and igniting a sharp political blame game between AAP and BJP