- By Shibra Arshad
- Sun, 30 Nov 2025 04:33 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Delhi AQI: Delhi got a short break from dirty air on Saturday. By evening, the pollution level came down to the “poor” category – the best the city has seen in many weeks. As per media reports, at 5 pm, the AQI was in the poor range. By 8 pm, it was 290, and an hour later, by 9 pm, it was 287.
Experts speculate what could have been the reason behind it. Stronger winds blew away the smoke and dust that had been stuck for days, however, the comparatively clean air is less likely to prevail. Experts say the pollution will go back up from tomorrow (November 30) and stay in the 'very poor' category for the next few days.
All through Saturday, Delhi’s average AQI kept getting better. At 4 pm, it was 305, much lower than 369 on Friday and 377 on Thursday. By 5 pm, it dropped to 300 and entered the ‘poor’ category.
Still, some areas like Narela, Shadipur, Jahangirpuri, Nehru Nagar, Vivek Vihar, Bawana, Okhla, Anand Vihar and Rohini continued to have high pollution.
What Contributed To Delhi’s Air Getting Suddenly Better
- Stronger winds blew in the afternoon (about 15 km per hour). This wind pushed away the dirty smoke that was stuck over the city for many days.
- Almost no stubble smoke came from Punjab farms. It was only 1% or less of the pollution.
Most of the dirt in the air came from inside Delhi and nearby places:
-Cars, buses and trucks (18% of the pollution)
-Factories and small industries
-Home cooking and heating
-Smoke coming from cities in Haryana like Sonipat and Panipat
So the wind gave us a small break, but the main problem is still the smoke produced in and around Delhi every day.
Delhi’s Air Felt Cleaner On Saturday
After weeks of very poor air, Delhi finally got a small relief on Saturday because the afternoon wind became stronger, reaching about 15 km per hour. This wind cleared away much of the trapped smoke and dust.
At the same time, smoke from farm fires in Punjab and Haryana was almost nothing, only about 1%. Cars and trucks gave 18% of the harmful PM2.5 dust, while factories, homes, construction dust, and smoke from places like Sonipat and Panipat in Haryana added the rest.
Delhi’s Air To Deteriorate From Sunday Evening
On Sunday, the wind will keep blowing from the northwest at 10–15 km/h during the morning and afternoon, which will still help clean the air a little.
But by evening, the wind will slow down to less than 10 km/h. Experts say the city’s ability to push away smoke will be good on Sunday (6,800 units), but it will fall sharply to a poor level (only 4,500 units) on Monday. That means the air will start getting dirty again from Monday.