On Monday morning, the pollution situation was recorded as very bad in many areas of Delhi. In many areas AQI has been recorded close to 400. Visibility has been found to be very low in many areas.
In some areas, people cannot even see things that are very close.
The air quality in the capital and its surrounding areas has been recorded as very poor and in the severe category for the past several days.
There is a fear that along with pollution, reduced visibility may also affect train and air services.
Pollution situation in Delhi
According to data from Delhi government's air quality monitoring portal, Delhi's average air quality index (AQI) at 6 am was 366.
Highest pollution was recorded in Sonia Vihar, where AQI was 449. After this, 445 AQI was recorded in Burari Crossing, 441 in Vivek Vihar, 439 in Jahangirpuri and 437 in North Campus.
According to the data, PM2.5 was the main cause of pollution at 55 monitoring centers in Delhi. At the same time, the second phase of Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is implemented in the capital.
The pollution level in Delhi has improved by 17 points compared to Sunday, but the air quality still remains very poor.
Out of 71 monitoring centers in Delhi, data is available from 59 centres, while data was not available from 12 centres.
According to Central Pollution Control Board i.e. CPCB, if AQI is between 401 to 500 then it is considered severe. It can affect the health of even healthy people. Such air can have serious effects on sick people.
If AQI is between 301 to 400, then breathing such air for a long time can cause respiratory diseases.
According to CBCB, AQI is considered good only if it is between 0 to 50.
Why does pollution increase in winter?
Dr. Anju Goyal, senior researcher and associate director of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), says that the risk of Delhi's air deteriorating due to winter weather will remain every year.
Smoke and dust reach the air throughout the year from vehicles, factories, construction works and burning of garbage. But the speed of removal of this pollution is not the same in summer and winter.
Many times in winter, the air near the ground is cold and the air above it is hot. Because of this the air below is not able to go up easily.
If the wind speed is also low, smoke and dust start accumulating near the ground.
The direction from which the wind is coming also makes a difference. If the wind comes towards Delhi from the stubble burning areas, it can also bring the smoke there with it.
According to Dr. Goyal, the weather cannot be changed. Therefore, governments will have to reduce pollution throughout the year in those places from where smoke and dust come out.
Where does Delhi's pollution come from?
According to Dr. Goyal, Delhi's pollution is not caused only by stubble.
In his research, the share of pollution related to ammonia released from agriculture was found to be 27 percent. The share of vehicles and other means of transport was 23 percent, burning of things like garbage and wood was 20 percent and dust was 17 percent.
Some fine particles reach the air directly along with smoke and dust. At the same time, some particles are formed by the mixing of different gases present in the air.
According to Dr. Goyal, the average share of stubble smoke throughout the year is about four percent. However, its effect may increase significantly on certain days.
According to data from the Center for Science and Environment (CSE), the average smoke content of stubble during October and November 2025 was 4.2 percent. For some time in November it increased to above 22 percent.
After this, the share of stubble decreased to only 0.2 percent in December. Yet the average amount of PM 2.5 in Delhi's air increased from 163 to 210 micrograms per cubic metre.
This means that even after the effect of stubble was almost over, Delhi's air had become worse.
