Delhi AQI climbs to season high of 391; still no GRAP stage 3 curbs

Last December, the Supreme Court set a threshold of 350 for stricter pollution control rules to be invoked under GRAP, with Stage 4 to be invoked at 400

Published on: Nov 9, 2025, 09:56:44 IST

By Jasjeev Gandhiok

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New Delhi: Air quality in the national capital deteriorated further on Sunday morning, with the AQI climbing to 391 at 8 am — the highest this season officially and just short of entering the ‘severe’ category.

Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)’s Sameer app showed that at 8 am, 23 out of the 39 active air quality monitoring stations were in the ‘severe’ category. (Vipin Kumar/ Hindustan Times)

The capital has not officially recorded a ‘severe’ air day so far this year. The last such reading was on December 23, 2024, when the AQI was recorded at 406.

Though Sunday’s AQI has eclipsed this season’s peak of 388 at 10 am on November 2, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has not invoked Stage 3 measures of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

Last December, the Supreme Court set a threshold of 350 for stricter pollution control rules to be invoked under GRAP, with Stage 4 to be invoked at 400.

The original threshold of 400 for Stage 3 of GRAP is set to be breached too.

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday advised residents to opt for carpooling, use public transport more frequently, and encouraged private institutions to give preference to work-from-home arrangements in view of the pollution.

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), meanwhile, held a press conference and denied allegations of faulty data and potential manipulation at stations, as it cited an improvement in AQI in the first week of November compared to 2024.

Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)’s Sameer app showed that at 8 am, 23 out of the 39 active air quality monitoring stations were in the ‘severe’ category. The worst impacted was Rohini (435), followed by Wazirpur (434). Interestingly, even amid smog, the Netaji Subhas University of Technology (NSUT) Dwarka station showed a reading of only 200.

An AQI of 51 to 100 is classified as “satisfactory”, 101 to 200 as “moderate”, 201 to 300 as “poor”, 301 to 400 as “very poor”, and above 400 as “severe”, as per the CPCB.

GRAP’s Stage 3 brings with it a ban on private BS-3 petrol and BS-4 diesel four-wheelers in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddh Nagar; blanket curbs on private construction and demolitions; and restrictions on the use of stone crushers, mining and associated activities. Further restrictions include a prohibition on non-essential diesel-operated BS-4 medium goods vehicles (MGVs), and a ban on BS-4 and lower diesel-operated light commercial vehicles registered outside Delhi, except for those carrying essential goods or providing essential services.

Schools up to Class 5 in Delhi and its neighbouring districts will also have to mandatorily shift to “hybrid” lessons, while Stage 3 also asks the Delhi and NCR state governments to stagger timings for public offices and municipal bodies in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar.

Delhi, meanwhile, recorded a minimum temperature of 11.6°C on Sunday, which was three degrees below normal. This was marginally higher than Saturday’s season low of 11°C.

The impact of cold northwesterly winds is set to continue, with stubble smoke intrusion expected. The Decision Support System (DSS) has forecast a daily contribution of over 32% to Delhi’s PM2.5 levels on Sunday.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jasjeev Gandhiok
Jasjeev Gandhiok is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times, where he covers environment, climate change, the clean energy transition and wildlife at the National Bureau. Gandhiok has over a decade of experience in journalism and is based in Delhi. He has reported extensively on Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). This includes the region's air pollution woes, a polluted Yamuna and on urban wildlife still thriving in the region. He joined HT in October 2021. Prior to that, he had five-year stint at The Times of India in Delhi, where he also covered Delhi, with a focus on environment and wildlife. Gandhiok has covered some recent events around the Capital too, ranging from the farmers' protests, the northeast Delhi riots and the CAA-NRC protests, reporting from the ground on all of these. He also travels across the country to report on how environment and climate change impact everyday life, while also writing on endangered species. His reports in 2019 on toxic leachate from Delhi's landfills led to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) taking suo motu cognisance and ultimately asking the state government to start bio-mining to flatten and remove all three landfills in the capital. He also closely tracks the implementation of government policies on climate, renewable energy and environmental protection. His focus remains on impactful, public-interest journalism which explains how environmental decisions affect people's everyday lives.Read More

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