Delhi Air Pollution: Delhi recorded its worst air quality since Diwali night on Thursday as a thick layer of haze enveloped the national capital, pushing the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) to 350, up from 313 on Wednesday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Of the 57 monitoring stations across the city, 10 were in the 'severe' category (above 400) on Thursday, including ITO, Chandni Chowk, Punjabi Bagh, Burari, JNU, IIT Delhi, NSIT Dwarka, and NSUT Jaffarpur. Among the remaining stations, 42 were in the 'very poor' category, four in the 'poor' category, and one in the 'moderate' category.
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CPCB data shows the city's 24-hour average AQI stood at 376 on November 8, 344 on November 9, 299 on November 10, and 313 on November 11. On Diwali night, AQI readings had crossed 500 in several areas, according to private applications tracking the US AQI scale.
Delhi AQI Forecast
Air quality is likely to worsen over the next two days. According to the Air Quality Early Warning System (EWS) for Delhi, concentrations of particulate matter PM2.5 and PM10 are expected to increase through the weekend.
According to the revised forecast released on Thursday afternoon, the transport sector will remain the largest contributor to Delhi’s pollution, rising from 16 per cent on Thursday to 18.5 per cent on Friday and 20.5 per cent on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the contribution of stubble burning has been revised downward from an earlier estimate of 20 per cent to 8.9 per cent on Thursday and 5.3 per cent on Friday, before rising to 13.29 per cent on Saturday.
Stubble-Burning Incidents See Decline
Thursday's spike in pollution occurred even as stubble-burning incidents in neighbouring Punjab declined. Data from the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute shows Punjab recorded 1,152 farm fire incidents on November 8, which dropped to 198 on November 9, 345 on November 10, and 515 on November 11.
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Since September 15, 2026, Punjab has recorded a total of 2,324 farm fire incidents, while Haryana has recorded 214 incidents over the same period. According to Thursday's revised forecast, the contribution of stubble burning to Delhi's air pollution is expected to remain relatively low.
(With Inputs From PTI)