Delhi’s air turns ‘very poor’ as haze, fog envelop city, visibility drops

A thick shroud of haze and fog wrapped Delhi in a suffocating embrace on Thursday morning, turning the capital’s skyline into a blur of grey. The stagnant air trapped a noxious mix of pollutants close to the ground, pushing the city’s air quality deep into the “very poor” category after several days of moderate discomfort.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) climbed sharply to 357, up from 279 the previous day — a grim reminder of the capital’s annual tryst with smog as winter approaches.

The morning broke under a dull, misty pall, with visibility plunging across much of the city. Calm winds and a dense fog layer conspired to seal the city’s air, allowing pollutants to linger and thicken. The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi noted that the ventilation index — a key measure of the atmosphere’s ability to disperse pollutants — remained far below the favourable mark of 6,000 m²/s, leaving the city gasping under its own fumes.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported visibility levels of 1,000 metres in Palam and 800 metres in Safdarjung at 7:30 a.m., with both stations experiencing near-still winds of less than 10 kmph. Iconic stretches like Kartavya Path, and densely populated neighbourhoods such as Anand Vihar, Burari, and Akshardham disappeared behind curtains of fog.

Pollution readings at some sites reached alarming levels — Vivek Vihar registered an AQI of 415, while Anand Vihar followed close behind at 408, both in the “severe” range. In all, 33 monitoring stations across the capital recorded “very poor” air quality, with readings surpassing 300.

Under the CPCB’s scale, an AQI between 0–50 is considered “good”, 51–100 “satisfactory”, 101–200 “moderate”, 201–300 “poor”, 301–400 “very poor”, and 401–500 “severe”.

Adding to the discomfort, the minimum temperature hovered at 20.1°C, about four degrees above normal, while humidity remained a sticky 90% at 8:30 am. The IMD forecast a maximum temperature of around 30°C, with another round of shallow evening fog expected to blanket the city — prolonging Delhi’s uneasy dance with smog.

With PTI inputs