Page 2 - Latest Updates on Delhi air quality

Delhi rings in New Year with 'very poor' air; IMD issues rain alert

Average AQI stood at 372 on January 1, with eight stations in the severe category and low visibility disrupting travel across the capital as the IMD issued a rain alert

Delhi's AQI stays 'severe' as nearly 100 flights cancelled due to dense fog

Delhi's air quality remains severe as dense fog disrupts flight and train services on New Year's eve, causing delays, cancellations and poor visibility across the capital

Delhi Assembly to reconvene on Jan 5; air pollution, CAG reports in focus

The Delhi Legislative Assembly will re-convene on January 5, with the four-day session focussing on the pollution crisis in the national capital and scrutiny of three CAG reports, Minister Kapil Mishra said on Tuesday. The Art, Culture and Tourism minister said the government will table a proposal on pollution and table three CAG reports one each on corruption in 'Sheeshmahal,' the functioning of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), and Delhi government-run universities. The term 'Sheeshmahal' was coined by the BJP to point out the alleged opulence of the 6, Flagstaff Road residence of the ex-Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. "There is a very detailed report on the functioning of DJB till the year 2022, it has all the details of all the irregularities which caused the sewage system of the city to collapse," Mishra said at a press conference. "The CAG report on the irregularities in the functioning of universities governed by the Delhi government will be tabled, and all the corruption wh

Delhi air quality stays 'severe' in most parts amid red alert for dense fog

Delhi experiences severe winter smog affecting visibility, travel, and daily life; IMD says conditions to remain same until January 1

Delhi govt sets up expert committee to tackle capital's hazardous air

The Delhi government has constituted an expert committee to provide independent ideas, suggestions and solutions to tackle the capital's chronic air quality crisis, officials said on Monday. The committee is key to the government's five-pronged pollution-control strategy, which focuses on innovation, scientific management of dust and solid waste, action against polluting industries, reduction of vehicular emissions, and long-term efforts to make Delhi greener and healthier. Officials said the move marks a departure from earlier approaches that relied largely on regulatory orders without structured expert consultation. To ensure faster execution of pollution-related decisions, the government has also set up the Implementation Committee on Control of Air Pollution (ICCAP), aimed at translating expert recommendations and government schemes into effective on-ground action. According to officials, the Special Expert Committee comprises 11 members, including former secretaries, former ..

Delhi AQI update: Air quality worsens to 'severe'; smog disrupts visibility

Delhi recorded an average AQI above 400 as very dense fog and smog reduced visibility, disrupted flights and trains, and prompted safety advisories across the capital

Delhi exploring tie-up with IIT Kanpur to find pollution sources: Sirsa

The Delhi government is exploring a potential collaboration with IIT Kanpur to leverage Artificial Intelligence to identify pollution sources at a granular level and assess their impact, officials said on Sunday. The environment department is all set to deliberate on the roadmap for collaboration, institutional mechanisms and phased implementation, an official statement said. Speaking on the initiative, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, "We are moving towards a model where decisions are driven by real-time data, source identification and measurable outcomes, not reactive measures." The proposed collaboration aims to strengthen Delhi's ability to identify pollution sources at a granular level, assess their impact, and enable targeted, timely interventions across sectors. The emphasis is on building systems that can monitor, analyse, forecast and guide action on a continuous basis, he said. A key pillar of this approach is dynamic source apportionment, which wil

Akums President Finance Rajkumar Bafna resigns citing Delhi pollution

The drugmaker said Bafna will step down on December 31, 2025, after citing Delhi's pollution levels in his resignation letter

Delhi's AQI 'very poor'; MeT issues 'orange' alert for dense fog on Monday

The national capital recorded air quality in the "very poor" category on Sunday with an overall Air Quality Index reading of 390, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The meteorological department has issued orange alert of very dense fog for Monday, with maximum and minimum temperatures likely to hover around 22 and 7 degrees Celsius, respectively. According to data on the CPCB's Sameer App, 19 monitoring stations in Delhi reported air quality in the "severe" category with Anand Vihar recording highest AQI of 457, while the remaining recorded "very poor" levels. An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered "good", 51 to 100 "satisfactory", 101 to 200 "moderate", 201 to 300 "poor", 301 to 400 "very poor", and 401 to 500 "severe", according to CPCB standards. The city recorded a low of 6.3 degrees Celsius, 0.5 degrees below the season's average, while the maximum temperature settled at 22.5 degrees Celsius, 2.1 notches above the seasonal average, the meteorological ...

Delhi air quality turns 'severe' as several stations record AQI above 400

Delhi's air quality remained in the severe category as dense fog, calm winds and falling temperatures trapped pollutants, prompting permanent Grap-4 curbs

Delhi govt makes 2 restrictions under Grap-4 permanent to tackle pollution

Sirsa also referred to weather conditions, saying that authorities are closely monitoring developments due to the possibility of adverse weather

Delhi air quality slips into 'severe' category amid dense fog and cold wave

Calm winds and dense fog trap pollutants as seven monitoring stations record 'severe' AQI and 24 of 39 in 'very poor' category

'Will open Pandora's Box': Centre on plea to cut GST on air purifiers

The court was hearing a petition that asked for lowering GST on air purifiers amid Delhi's worsening air quality index

Delhi HC asks Centre to respond to plea seeking lower GST on air purifiers

The Delhi High Court on Friday directed the Centre to file a detailed response to a petition seeking lowering of goods and services tax on air purifiers in view of worsening air quality in the national capital. A vacation bench of Justices Vikas Mahajan and Vinod Kumar granted 10 days' time to the central government to file its reply to the petition and listed the matter for further hearing on January 9. The court was informed by the Centre's counsel that the meeting of GST Council has to take place physically only and it is not possible to convene the meeting through video conferencing. Additional Solicitor General N Venkataraman, representing the Centre, sought time to file a detailed reply. The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions to the central government to classify air purifiers as "medical devices" and reduce the goods and services tax (GST) to the five per cent slab. Air purifiers are currently taxed at 18 per cent. The petition by advoca

Continue pollution curbs as western disturbance may worsen weather: Sirsa

Even as GRAP 4 restrictions were lifted after a temporary improvement in air quality, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Friday urged residents to continue following pollution-control measures, warning that weather conditions may worsen again due to an approaching western disturbance. Addressing the media, Sirsa said weather conditions are likely to turn unfavourable, with increased chances of dense haze and fog, which could worsen pollution levels. "According to the weather department and past data, the impact of western disturbance will be visible in Delhi in the next couple of days. The weather will deteriorate again and there is a strong possibility of heavy haze," he said. The minister urged residents to remain vigilant and continue to follow pollution control measures despite the relaxation of restrictions. He appealed to the people not to take out vehicles without valid Pollution Under Control Certificates and to avoid unnecessary travel. "Even though the 50

Fog blankets Delhi as air quality slips to 'very poor' again; AQI at 305

Delhi's air quality deteriorated a day after Christmas, with 24 out of 39 monitoring stations reporting very poor AQI as fog returned to the national capital

EVs help, but Delhi's air pollution problem needs more than adoption

It is equally important to recognise that Delhi is part of a shared air basin across the NCR. Policies for just Delhi can deliver limited gains

Delhi's air quality improves to AQI 234; forecast shows decline ahead

The capital breathed slightly easier for the second consecutive day, with the air quality improving to the 'poor' category and an AQI of 234 recorded on Thursday. Transport emissions and pollution from neighbouring cities continued to contribute significantly to the capital's air pollution load, according to official data. Delhi's 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) stood at 234 at 4 pm, remaining in the 'poor' category, compared to 271 recorded at the same time a day earlier, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). This marked a significant improvement from the 'severe' AQI of 412 recorded at 4 pm on Tuesday. Out of the 40 functional air quality monitoring stations in the city, 10 recorded moderate AQI levels below 200, including Lodhi Road, IIT Delhi, Indira Gandhi International Airport and Aya Nagar, while 27 stations remained in the poor category. Two stations -- Jahangirpuri and Bawana -- recorded very poor air quality with AQI readings above 300. As per

Delhi records highest annual avg of NO2 levels since 2018; ITO worst hit

ITO, known for heavy congestion and long waits at traffic signals, recorded the highest annual mean level at 69 µg/m³. Other hotspots included IGI Airport's Terminal 3, Anand Vihar, and Shadipur

Delhi breathes easier on Christmas as AQI dips below 300 after two weeks

On December 25, the AQI improved to 220, helped by strong winds, though forecasts warn of possible deterioration ahead