Delhi AQI Level Today, November 19 2025: Latest Air Quality Index, Pollution Level, and Smog Update

Delhi-NCR AQI Level Today, November 19: Check the latest air quality index, pollution level, and smog conditions across Delhi and NCR. Delhi-NCR’s air quality has plunged to alarming levels, with PM2.5 and PM10 readings far exceeding WHO limits. AQI across Delhi, Noida and nearby cities remains hazardous, placing Indian cities among the world’s most polluted.

By: Express Web Desk

New Delhi | Updated: November 19, 2025 08:31 AM IST

4 min read

Delhi AQI: Smog over the Yamuna in Delhi's Kalindi Kunj earlier this week (Photo: ANI)

The Delhi-NCR pollution is showing no sign of abating and is now alarming. The air quality index (AQI) has been constantly rising since the withdrawal of the monsoon in north India and is now alarmingly high. While the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines specify a maximum of 15 μg/m³ of PM (particulate matter) 2.5 exposure in 24 hours, the figure is nearly 26 times higher in Delhi-NCR. As per air quality tracker aqi.in, the PM 2.5 level was 384 μg/m³ at 7 AM on Wednesday.

PM 2.5 levels in the past 24 hours (Source: aqi.in).

For Delhi-NCR, more alarming is the larger PM 10 pollutant. The WHO says PM 10 exposure should not exceed 45 μg/m³ in 24 hours. However, that was nearly 12 times higher at 517 at 7 AM on Wednesday.

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The PM 10 level in Delhi is far higher than the WHO standard limit (Source: aqi.in).

These two and other pollutants have contributed to the rise in the overall AQI, which rose to 543 at 7 AM on Wednesday, as per aqi.in. This is equivalent to inhaling the smoke from more than 12 cigarettes a day.

As part of pollution mitigation measures, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has kept in force Graded Response Action Plan Stage IV (GRAP-4) in Delhi.

Dr Anant Mohan, HOD of pulmonary medicine and sleep disorders at AIIMS, told news agency ANI, “The pollution in Delhi is absolutely severe and life-threatening. This situation has been going on for the last ten years. We try to do something every time, but in reality, on the ground, I don’t see much change… The responsible agencies should take drastic steps over time… Not just respiratory, it’s now affecting other organs as well… Many are facing life-threatening situations… There’s definitely been an increase in both outpatient and emergency rooms… Many people even have to be put on ventilators… It should be treated like a public health emergency…”

AQI in NCR

Among the other areas in the National Capital Region, Noida and Greater Noida of Uttar Pradesh are recording pollution levels that are shooting through the roof. At 7 AM on Wednesday, the AQI level in the two cities 576 and 548, respectively. In UP’s Meerut, the AQI was 466 at the time.

In Haryana, Faridabad recorded an AQI of 531 at 7 AM. At 398, Haryana’s AQI was a tad lower but still way higher than the safe limit.

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Highest polluted cities in India

The top polluted city in the country was not New Delhi. Rather it was Nagli Bahrampur in UP. In fact the top 59 cities on the real-time air quality tracking list at 7:30 AM on Wednesday on aqi.in featured Indian cities. The 60th city was Lahore in Pakistan.

Check out the top 10 most polluted cities in the table below:

Rank	City	AQI	Status
1.	Nagli Bahrampur	1030	Hazardous
2.	Khalilabad	668	Hazardous
3.	Naultha	635	Hazardous
4.	Ghaziabad	633	Hazardous
5.	Sonipat	629	Hazardous
6.	Baghpat	622	Hazardous
7.	Noida	581	Hazardous
8.	Greater Noida	562	Hazardous
9.	Bulandshahr	554	Hazardous
10.	New Delhi	547	Hazardous