Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: Delhi woke up on Friday to one of its worst pollution days of the season, with the city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) hitting 384 at 8:00 am, placing it in the ‘very poor’ category. Several locations crossed the 400 mark, pushing them into the ‘severe’ range despite a brief improvement earlier this week.
Multiple Neighbourhoods Breach AQI 400, NCR Cities Also Struggle
Mundka recorded the highest AQI at 436, followed by Rohini (432), Anand Vihar (408) and Jahangirpuri (420), highlighting widespread toxic air across the national capital. Punjabi Bagh (417), RK Puram (418), Wazirpur (416) and Narela (407) were among 19 of Delhi’s 39 stations that crossed AQI 400. Neighbouring regions were also deeply affected — Noida reported AQI 404 under the ‘severe’ category, while Greater Noida (377) and Ghaziabad (350) fell into the ‘very poor’ bracket.
Cold Wave Intensifies Crisis, Pollution Expected to Persist for Days
Forecasts indicate that Delhi is likely to remain in the ‘very poor’ category in the coming days, as the ongoing cold wave traps pollutants closer to the ground. The minimum temperature has dipped to 8–12°C across Delhi-NCR, combining with fog and low wind speed to worsen smog conditions. Data from IITM’s Decision Support System identified vehicular emissions as the largest contributor to pollution at 19.5%, followed by inputs from nearby NCR cities, while stubble burning contributed only 0.7%.
Schools Reopen Fully After Short Relief, Even as AQI Spikes Again
All schools in Delhi resumed normal physical attendance on Thursday after the Commission for Air Quality Management withdrew GRAP Stage-3 restrictions. The Directorate of Education also cancelled hybrid learning guidelines following temporary improvements in AQI. However, the sudden spike in pollution on Friday has again triggered concerns among parents and medical experts regarding the health impact on children.
