Delhi’s air quality deteriorates again, slips back into ‘very poor’ category

Delhi’s fragile breath of relief proved fleeting. After just two days of marginal improvement, the capital awoke on Tuesday to a familiar, choking haze as its air quality once again slipped into the ‘very poor’ zone.

At dawn, the Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 331, according to the Central Pollution Control Board — a stark reminder that the city’s long winter battle with pollution had resumed its grip. Across Delhi, several monitoring stations painted an even grimmer picture: Bawana at 387, Anand Vihar 381, Wazirpur 362, Burari 361, and RK Puram 356 — each number signalling skies thick with particulate matter and lungs labouring against an invisible assault.

Only around the IGI Airport did the air offer a slightly gentler reprieve, though even its AQI of 269 lingered firmly within the ‘poor’ band.

As the morning unfolded, a dense quilt of fog and smog pressed low over the city’s most iconic spaces. At India Gate–Kartavya Path, the AQI hovered near 370, casting the landmark in a ghostly pallor, while at MB Road in Tughlakabad, readings around 302 stirred fresh concern among residents who have grown weary of the season’s suffocating routine.

Voices from across the capital reflected a mix of frustration and fatigue.
“The pollution has become extremely dangerous for both children and the elderly,” one resident lamented. “We used to step out at 5 am, but now we wait until 7. Our eyes burn. We keep coughing. Water sprinkling isn’t enough — the government needs to act more decisively.”

The frustration was sharpened by the fact that Delhi had only just enjoyed a fleeting dip in pollution levels, with AQIs of 279 on Sunday and 298 on Monday — a momentary lull swallowed quickly by the returning haze.

Winter, too, continues to deepen its hold. The India Meteorological Department forecast a maximum of 26°C and a minimum of 7°C, temperatures that will only further trap pollutants close to the ground as the season progresses.

And so, as the capital braces for colder days ahead, it does so beneath a sky heavy with smog — a reminder that for millions, the simple act of drawing breath remains an everyday struggle.

With IANS inputs