Delhi Air Quality Deteriorates Again; AQI Climbs To 319 In ‘Very Poor’ Category

Delhi’s air quality deteriorated again on Thursday, ending a brief period of improvement as the national capital’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) climbed to 319, placing it in the ‘very poor’ category.

According to the latest readings from monitoring stations, pollution levels remained high across several parts of the city. Pusa and NSIT Dwarka recorded the highest AQI at 388 each, followed by Chandni Chowk at 387, JNU at 380, Punjabi Bagh at 373 and Chhawla at 369.

Aya Nagar and CRRI Mathura Road registered an AQI of 366 each, while Talkatora Garden recorded 365. Other areas, including Jahangirpuri, Wazirpur and Ghummanhera, reported readings of 342, 336 and 334, respectively.

Pollution also remained elevated across the National Capital Region (NCR). Gurugram recorded an AQI of 300, while Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad registered 284, 280 and 270, respectively.

Weather conditions are unlikely to provide significant relief in the coming days. The maximum temperature in Delhi is expected to remain between 27 and 30 degrees Celsius, while minimum temperatures may range from 14 to 17 degrees Celsius until November 15.

The IMD has forecast no rainfall in Delhi until November 15, with little temperature change expected despite an approaching Western Disturbance.

Pollution had risen before Diwali, with average PM2.5 levels reaching a three-year high of 236 micrograms per cubic metre, according to CSE. Levels were 97 per cent higher than in 2025.

Delhi’s AQI peaked at 376 on November 8, compared with 345 last year. It subsequently stood at 344 on November 9, 299 on November 10 and 313 on November 11, CPCB data showed.

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