In a disappointing forecast, no respite is expected next week as well in the existing air pollution crisis being faced by the people. The national capital recorded an AQI of 369 on Friday, extending its streak of 'very poor' air quality to half the month of November.
The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) settled at 369 on Friday, compared to 377 on Thursday, 327 on Wednesday, 352 on Tuesday and 382 on Monday, remaining in the 'very poor' category for the 14th consecutive day.The highest AQI in the city, at 414, was recorded in Dwarka Sector 8, the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) Sameer app showed.
The air quality is likely to remain 'very poor' over the coming week, according to the forecast by the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi.Meanwhile, the Sameer app, which displays real-time pollution readings from monitoring stations across Delhi, showed that several stations -- including RK Puram, Punjabi Bagh, Nehru Nagar, Dwarka, Rohini, Jahangirpuri, and Mundka -- recorded AQI levels above the 400 mark.
Out of 39 monitoring stations, a total of 18 recorded AQI in the 'severe' category in the early hours of the day.According to the CPCB, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51–100 'satisfactory', 101–200 'moderate', 201–300 'poor', 301–400 'very poor', and 401–500 'severe'.
The Decision Support System of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, estimated that vehicular emissions contributed 18 per cent to Delhi’s pollution on Friday. The share for neighbouring Sonipat was 8.7 per cent, Karnal 3.9 per cent, and 6.9 per cent for Panipat.For Delhi, stubble burning accounted for 1.2 per cent.These contributions on Saturday are projected to reach 18.4 per cent for vehicular emissions and 1.7 per cent for stubble burning in the national capital.
Meanwhile, on the weather front, the city recorded a maximum temperature of 25.9 degrees Celsius, 0.1 notch below normal, while the minimum settled at 8.1 degrees Celsius, 2.2 notches below normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).The relative humidity stood at 95 per cent in the morning and 67 per cent in the evening.For Saturday, the IMD has forecast fog, with the maximum and minimum temperatures expected to settle around 26 and 11 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Delhi government is installing six new advanced air quality monitoring stations at locations including Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), the ISRO Earth Station near Malcha Mahal, Delhi Cantonment, the Commonwealth Sports Complex, and Netaji Subhash University of Technology (West Campus). These stations will measure meteorological data like wind speed and temperature to better understand pollution dispersal patterns. The new stations are expected to be operational by January 15, 2026, increasing the total number of stations in the city to 46.
Netaji Subhash University of Technology (West Campus)The new stations will provide a more reliable, 24x7 scientific assessment of air quality and will also record full meteorological data, such as wind speed, direction, temperature, humidity, rainfall, and solar radiation.
They will be advanced continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS). The stations are expected to be operational by January 15, 2026. All six new stations will be under the domain of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), but will be maintained by third-party operators.
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