Delhi’s air quality edged perilously close to the severe category on Friday as multiple monitoring stations in the capital crossed the 400-mark on the Air Quality Index (AQI). At 6 a.m., the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recorded the city-wide average AQI at 384, still within the very poor bracket but showing a sharp upward trend.
Of the 39 monitoring stations operational across Delhi, 19 reported AQI levels in the severe range (above 400). Neighbouring Noida fared even worse, with nearly every station logging severe pollution.
The deterioration came barely 48 hours after the Delhi government lifted Stage-III restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). Across the Delhi-NCR region, air quality worsened noticeably: Noida remained firmly in the severe category, while Greater Noida recorded 380, Ghaziabad 351, and Gurugram 318, all staying in the very poor range.
Several established pollution hotspots witnessed steep spikes, sliding into the severe zone, with Anand Vihar at 411, Bawana at 414, Chandni Chowk at 407, Narela at 407, JLN Stadium at 401, Burari at 402, Ashok Vihar at 417, and Aya Nagar at 402.
Other stations in Delhi recorded AQI on the upper end of the very poor category, including ITO at 396, Alipur at 355, IGI Airport at 360, and Najafgarh at 361. The capital has now experienced continuous poor to very poor air quality for the past 14 days.
In the wider NCR belt, Noida continued to choke under toxic air, with Sector 1 recording 405, Sector 62 at 359, Sector 116 at 438, and Sector 125 at 422. Greater Noida showed similarly stubborn pollution levels, with Knowledge Park-III at 362 and Knowledge Park-V at 399.
Ghaziabad presented a mixed but predominantly bleak picture, with Loni at 425 slipping into the severe category, Indirapuram at 385 and Vasundhara at 305 remaining in the very poor range, and Sanjay Nagar at 290 being the only station in the city to record merely poor air quality.
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Gurugram and Faridabad performed relatively better. In Gurugram, two stations logged poor air quality and two recorded very poor, while Faridabad had just one station in the poor category, with the rest of its monitoring points registering moderate levels.
Earlier this week, the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi had predicted that air quality in the national capital would remain in the very poor category from November 26 to 28. Forecasts further suggest that over the next six days, conditions are likely to oscillate between severe and very poor.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast cloudy skies and foggy conditions across Delhi throughout Friday. The minimum temperature is expected to hover between 8–10°C, with the maximum likely to touch 27°C. On Wednesday, the city recorded its coldest morning of the season so far, with the temperature dropping to 8°C — the lowest November minimum since 2022, according to the IMD.
Also Read: Delhi air turns 'severe,' AQI crosses 400 amid choking pollution
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