Delhi’s air quality remains ‘very poor’; light rain expected on Friday

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Friday for thunderstorms and gusty winds of 30-40 km per hour and light rain

Published on: Jan 22, 2026, 10:39:25 IST

By Jasjeev Gandhiok

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Delhi’s air quality remained “very poor” on Thursday even as the minimum temperature of 6.3°C was a degree below normal, and a western disturbance approaching the region was expected to cause light rain on Friday. On Wednesday, Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 7.7°C.

An AQI of 313 (very poor) was recorded at 8am. (HT PHOTO)

An Average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 313 (very poor) was recorded at 8am on Thursday, compared to 330 (very poor) at 4pm on Wednesday. Wind speeds were expected to increase on Friday, improving the air quality.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Friday for thunderstorms and gusty winds of 30-40 km per hour and light rain.

Cloudy skies and rain were expected to keep the minimum temperature in check and the maximum low on Friday. “The minimum will hover between 11-13°C on Friday, under the effect of the western disturbance,” said an IMD official.

The mercury was expected to go up to around 23°C on Thursday and dip to 18-20°C on Friday. Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 24.2°C on Wednesday. Delhi’s air quality was likely to improve to the “poor” zone from Friday.

Delhi had the worst air for January in nearly three years. The AQI was 400 or higher for three straight days between January 17 and 19. Delhi last had three straight days of 400+ AQI in January of 2021.

The peak AQI during current spell touched 440 on January 18. It was 460 in the previous spell in 2021 on January 15.

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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