Pollution Rises in Delhi, Many Places Move to ‘Severe’ Zone.

Delhi woke up to even more polluted air on Friday. At 8 am, the city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) touched 384, which falls in the “very poor” range, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Mundka had the highest reading at 436, followed by Rohini at 432. Anand Vihar (408) and Jahangirpuri (420) were also in the “severe” zone, showing a sharp drop in air quality across many parts of the city.

19 Out of 39 Stations Show AQI Above 400

The areas around Delhi also faced bad air.

• Noida recorded 404, moving into the “severe” level.
• Greater Noida (377) and Ghaziabad (350) stayed in the “very poor” range.

CPCB data showed that 19 out of 39 stations in Delhi had AQI levels above 400 by 8 am.
Readings were high in Punjabi Bagh (417), RK Puram (418), Wazirpur (416), and Narela (407). Places like Chandni Chowk (408), JLN Stadium (401), and Burari Crossing (403) also fell in the “severe” range.

Delhi has been covered in thick smog all week. The 24-hour average AQI was 377 on Thursday, up from 327 on Wednesday. Earlier in the week, the average AQI was 352 on Tuesday and 382 on Monday.

CPCB marks AQI levels as:

• 0–50: Good
• 51–100: Satisfactory
• 101–200: Moderate
• 201–300: Poor
• 301–400: Very Poor
• 401–500: Severe

Cold Wave Makes Pollution Harder To Clear

Weather experts say the air in the Capital will stay in the “very poor” range for the next few days.

Cold air, fog, and slow wind are making the pollution settle close to the ground. Many parts of Delhi-NCR and North India have minimum temperatures between 8°C and 12°C.

Data from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology said:

• Vehicles caused 19.5% of the pollution on Thursday.
• Ghaziabad added 8.2%.
• Baghpat added 7.3%.
• Stubble burning made up 0.7%.

Schools in Delhi opened fully for offline classes on Thursday. This happened after the Commission for Air Quality Management removed GRAP Stage-3 rules. The Education Department also cancelled hybrid learning instructions after a short improvement earlier in the week.