Delhi air remains ‘poor’ for 4th consecutive day

Delhi's air quality remains "poor" for four days, with forecasts of further deterioration due to low wind speeds and potential Diwali emissions.

New Delhi

Smog in Delhi on Friday morning. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) remained in the “poor” category for a fourth consecutive day on Friday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB’s) daily bulletin. Forecasts suggest that air quality may further deteriorate over the next few days.

On Friday, the 24-hour average AQI was 254 (poor), continuing the “poor” air streak of 245 on Thursday, 233 on Wednesday and 211 on Tuesday. Before that, Delhi had been enjoying a continuous streak of “moderate” and “satisfactory” air days from June 12.

CPCB classifies an AQI of 0-50 as “good”, 51-100 as “satisfactory”, 101-200 as “moderate”, 201-300 as “poor”, 301-400 as “very poor” and 401-500 as “severe”.

Data on Friday evening showed that of the 36 air quality monitoring stations for which data was available, at least six had recorded “very poor” air.

The Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) for Delhi said in its bulletin, “The air quality is very likely to be in the poor category from Saturday to Sunday. The air quality is very likely to be in the upper end of very poor category on Monday in case of additional emissions from firecrackers. The outlook for the subsequent six days is that the air quality is likely to be in the poor category becoming upper end of very poor category on Tuesday.”

Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet meteorology, said that meteorological conditions were also not in favour of the city. “Pollution level will remain high for the next few days as wind speed is quite low and is expected to remain so. Depending on the additional emissions because of Diwali, pollution levels are expected to persist over the next week as well,” Palawat said.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 32.6°C, 0.6°C below the normal, and a minimum temperature of 18.4°C on Friday.

IMD has also forecast a mist or haze to settle in early on Saturday morning. “A smog or shallow fog is also likely at many places during morning hours from Sunday to Tuesday. From noon onwards, the skies will clear up and mostly mist or a haze might be observed,” an IMD official said.

Meanwhile, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) held a meeting on Friday to review winter preparedness and pollution control measures in the NCR. Key discussions included stricter enforcement against stubble burning, amendments to vehicle entry norms for Delhi, and the temporary suspension of older vehicle phase-out directions following Supreme Court orders. The Commission also emphasized vigilance on open waste burning and approved regulated sale and use of green firecrackers during Diwali. Continuous air quality monitoring from October 14 to 25, 2025, was mandated, with coordinated actions across states to mitigate pollution in the region