Delhi AQI Level News Highlights: Delhi’s air quality drops to ‘very poor’, AQI breaches 400-mark in 18 out of 39 stations

Senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Sunday flagged the 'severe' air quality in Delhi, demanding the Centre and the state government to take immediate actions to mitigate this "awful situation."

Taking to X, Gandhi wrote: "Returning to the Delhi air from Wayanad first, then Bachwara in Bihar is truly shocking. The pollution enveloping this city is like a grey shroud thrown over it."

"It’s really about time all of us get together regardless of our political compulsions and do something about it. The central and state government need to act immediately, we will all support and cooperate with whatever actions they choose to take to mitigate this awful situation. Year after year the citizens of Delhi are subjected to this toxicity with no recourse," her post stated.

She further raised the need for urgent intervention, citing people with respiratory disorders suffering amid the rising AQI. "Those who suffer from respiratory issues, children who commute to school every day and senior citizens especially, need urgent intervention to clear the filthy smog we are all breathing. @gupta_rekha, @byadavbjp, @narendramodi, please take immediate steps," she added.

AQI continued to remain in the 'severe' category:

Wazirpur – 437

Chandni Chowk – 430

Burari Crossing – 424

R K Puram – 424

Vivek Vihar – 422

Rohini – 422

Dwarka Sector 8 – 418

Pusa – 418

Bawana – 416

Ashok Vihar – 415

Sirifort – 413

Nehru Nagar – 412

Punjabi Bagh – 410

CRRI Mathura Road – 408

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium – 405

Anand Vihar – 404

Jahangirpuri – 402

AQI remained in 'very poor' category in the following stations, as of 11 am:

Mundka – 399

Najafgarh -396

Narela - 396

Okhla Phase 2 - 394

North Campus, DU - 389

IGI Airport - 368

ITO - 310

Lodhi Road - 379

The dip in AQI in parts of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) comes a day after farm fire incidents were recorded to be the highest so far this season in Punjab, at 442 cases for a single day.

According to experts, it is typical in November to observe westerly winds at a speed below 5 kmph, other meteorological conditions combined with smoke from stubble burning, and baseline emissions from vehicular pollution, and residential, industry sector, biomass burning contribute to Delhi’s load of PM2.5.

Delhiites on Sunday woke up to a thick layer of smog covering the city, with the air quality turning ‘severe’ in some parts of the national Capital.

As of 9 am, the AQI was recorded to be 386, on the upper end of ‘Very Poor’ category — the second-worst in the country.

According to the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, 18 out of 39 air quality monitoring stations recorded the AQI to be in the ‘severe’ category.

Wazirpur has recorded the worst AQI at 9 am, at 439, followed by Burari Crossing and Chandni Chowk recording an AQI of 427, while it hovered at 426 in R K Puram.