Delhi AQI remains ‘very poor’ amid thick haze; Bawana, Narela, Punjabi Bagh among 8 areas in ‘severe’ category

The Air Quality Index turns measurements of several pollutants into one easier-to-read score. CPCB classifies 301–400 as “very poor,” meaning pollution is at a level that signals serious concern, and 401–500 as “severe,” the highest listed band. Lower scores indicate cleaner air.

AQI calculation generally uses pollutant-specific readings and converts each into a sub-index using health-based limits. The overall index is usually determined by the pollutant with the highest sub-index, so one especially harmful pollutant can drive the final score. The article does not provide CPCB’s detailed formula.

Delhi’s overall AQI was 331 on Tuesday morning, placing it in the very poor category. Eight of 58 reporting stations were already severe. That contrast shows why both the citywide score and local station readings matter: pollution can be much worse in particular neighbourhoods than the overall average suggests.

Pollution was widespread across Delhi, but it was not equally intense everywhere. The city’s AQI stood at 331 at 7:05 am on Tuesday, placing overall air quality in CPCB’s “very poor” range. The reading captures the broader citywide situation.

Local monitoring stations revealed sharper extremes. Data from 58 of Delhi’s 59 stations showed eight stations in the “severe” category, including Bawana, Narela and Punjabi Bagh. Only IGNOU in Maidangarhi recorded moderate air quality. This spread shows how neighbourhood conditions can differ substantially.

The deterioration was rapid. Monday’s 24-hour average AQI was 324, the worst in 271 days, compared with 261 on Sunday and just 60 on Friday. The figures matter because they show both widespread pollution and a steep worsening over several days, just before Diwali.

PM2.5 means fine particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less. These particles are small enough to stay airborne and travel with haze. Because of their size, they can be inhaled deeply, making them an important indicator of health-relevant pollution. The article identifies PM2.5 but does not discuss health effects in detail.

CPCB listed PM2.5 as the main pollutant at 53 of Delhi’s 58 reporting stations on Tuesday morning. PM10 was the main pollutant at the remaining five stations. A day earlier, PM2.5 led at 51 stations and PM10 at seven.

This pattern means fine particles were the dominant measured problem across most of the city. It does not identify one single source. The station data instead show where monitoring systems found PM2.5 contributing most strongly to local AQI readings during the worsening episode.

The article places Delhi’s worsening air quality just days before Diwali, but it does not directly identify weather or fireworks as causes. Around this period, pollution can rise when seasonal atmospheric conditions reduce dispersion, while smoke from regional fires adds to the burden. Diwali-related emissions may also become relevant, though that specific effect is not reported here.

The article documents several pressures at once. NASA satellite data detected 1,561 farm fires in Punjab and Haryana between October 1 and November 2. The CPCB identified PM2.5 as the main pollutant at most Delhi stations. These sources and conditions can combine, producing thicker haze and higher readings.

Delhi’s AQI rose from 60 on Friday, classified as satisfactory, to 331 on Tuesday morning, classified as very poor. With Diwali approaching, the timing matters because additional emissions could make already polluted air harder to manage, although the article does not forecast a specific outcome.

Farm fires burn crop residue and release smoke and particles into the atmosphere. When regional air moves toward Delhi, that pollution can add to the city’s existing emissions. The article presents farm fires as important background data, but it does not calculate exactly how much of Delhi’s AQI came from them.

NASA satellite data detected 1,561 fires in Punjab and Haryana between October 1 and November 2. Punjab accounted for 1,406 and Haryana for 155. On November 2 alone, 167 fires were recorded. These figures show that burning remained extensive across the two states.

The comparison with last season needs care. Satellites counted 2,068 fires over the same period then, but burning has shifted later each year. In 2025, 98 percent of Meteosat fire heat came after 3 pm, compared with 94 percent in 2024. Both counts are underestimates because satellites pass around 1:30 pm.

Stage 2 of the Graded Response Action Plan is an emergency response to worsening air quality. After Delhi’s pollution deteriorated, CAQM invoked it across the national capital region on Monday. The plan directs governments to reduce activities that can add emissions and to limit conditions that encourage open burning.

Delhi and NCR governments were told to stagger office timings for government and municipal employees in Delhi and Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar. Parking fees are to be increased to discourage private vehicle use. Resident welfare associations must provide electric heaters to security staff, helping prevent open burning.

For residents, staggered hours could spread commuting across a longer period and alter work routines. Higher parking charges could make private-car trips more expensive and encourage other travel choices. The measures are also part of Delhi’s winter action plan, which began on November 1, so they may shape daily life beyond this particular pollution episode.

Low winds disperse pollution slowly, so emissions can accumulate over the same area instead of spreading away. A temperature inversion occurs when warmer air sits above cooler air near the ground. That arrangement acts like a lid, limiting upward movement and trapping pollutants close to where people breathe. Haze forms when particles remain suspended.

This mechanism helps explain why the same emissions can produce very different AQI readings on different days. If air is stagnant, smoke from traffic, burning and other sources remains concentrated. If stronger winds or mixing occur, pollutants can disperse more quickly. The source article reports haze and pollution readings, but it does not provide Tuesday’s wind or temperature data.

Delhi’s AQI rose from 261 on Sunday to 324 on Monday, then reached 331 Tuesday morning. The rapid increase is consistent with pollution accumulating under poor dispersion, but the article does not prove that specific weather conditions caused it. Weather monitoring would be needed to confirm the mechanism.