Delhi currently basking in sunny weather with a temperature of 32°C, is facing a severe air quality crisis. The Air Quality Index (AQI) has skyrocketed to a hazardous 500, significantly worse than yesterday's reading around the same time.
The month of March, 2025 witnesses the best average AQI in Delhi at 170. The average AQI for the month of March during 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 has been 223, 217, 170 and 176 respectively.
There was a chill in the early hours today with temperature recorded at 11.2 degrees Celsius at 5:30 am, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Amidst the increased level of air pollution, the national capital witnessed a thin layer of fog on Thursday morning while the AQI stood at 381 at 8 am.
Shimla district police have dismantled an inter-state drug trafficking network operating between Kolkata and Himachal Pradesh, leading to the arrest of 17 individuals. The gang used an online trading mechanism to supply narcotics across the state.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has revoked Stage-IV measures of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) following a notable improvement in air quality.
Delhi recorded 41.2 mm rain in the past 24 four hours till 8.30 am on Saturday, marking the highest single-day December rainfall in 101 years, India Meteorological Department (IMD), said.
"Delhi's air quality has shifted from the 'severe' category to the 'poor' range. As a result, measures under Stage III, implemented earlier, are now being withdrawn," the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and adjoining areas said in a statement.
The air quality index (AQI) in the national capital remained in the 'severe' category on Wednesday, with a thin layer of fog covering parts of the city and limiting visibility.
The Sub-Committee of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) implemented Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across the National Capital Region (NCR) on Monday night with "immediate effect" in response to declining air quality.
The air quality in the national capital remained in the 'poor' category on Tuesday, with a thin layer of smog covering parts of the city and limiting visibility.
As the winter spell sets in for the season, the air quality in the national capital remains in the 'poor' catgory, with thin layer of smog covering parts of the metropolitan city and and limiting visibility.