Delhi’s air quality improved slightly on Tuesday morning but remained in the “very poor” category, with the city’s Air Quality Index recorded at 304 at around 8.10am, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board, as reported by IANS on 10 November.
A second agency report, from ANI, put the overall reading at 307 at 7am on Tuesday, also in the “very poor” category. The small difference reflects the time of the reading rather than a disagreement about the trend: both are down from Monday, when the city’s overall AQI was 371 at 10am, the highest post-Diwali reading in five years, according to CPCB data reported on 10 November. Under India’s national AQI classification, readings of 301 to 400 are “very poor” and 401 to 500 are “severe”.
Pusa and Chandni Chowk recorded the highest readings on Tuesday morning, at 395 each, followed by NSUT Jaffarpur at 382 and the Commonwealth Sports Complex at 380, according to the IANS report. ANI’s account listed Chandni Chowk at 395, Punjabi Bagh at 355 and Aya Nagar at 354, with RK Puram at 328. Of the 51 stations monitoring air quality in the capital on Monday morning, 14 reported “severe” air quality, 33 were “very poor” and four were “poor”, with the highest station-level reading at 439 at DTU.
No rain in sight, restrictions stay in force
Delhi-NCR is unlikely to receive any immediate respite, as weather conditions are expected to remain largely unfavourable for the dispersion of pollutants. The India Meteorological Department has predicted no rainfall in Delhi between 10 and 15 November, and wind speeds are forecast to remain relatively low, ranging between 5 and 15 kilometres per hour, limiting the possibility of significant improvement, according to the IANS report.
Stage III restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan remain in force following the Commission for Air Quality Management’s decision. The restrictions cover Delhi and the adjoining districts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. GRAP is a four-stage emergency mechanism coordinated by the CAQM, the CPCB and state governments, with restrictions becoming progressively stricter as air quality worsens, and the framework is implemented on forecasts from the IMD and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, enabling preventive action before pollution reaches the “severe” category.
Water sprinklers have been deployed in the capital, according to the ANI report carried on 10 November, as authorities try to settle dust on the roads. The thick blanket of smog that shrouded several parts of northern India on Monday followed Diwali celebrations, with firecracker emissions combining with existing pollution sources and unfavourable weather, according to a report published on 10 November.
Live-tracker figure conflicts with the official morning reading
A live-tracker page, DailyAQI, showed Delhi’s AQI at 452 (“severe”) on 10 November, with PM2.5 at 379 micrograms per cubic metre, and said the live CPCB feed was currently offline. That figure conflicts with the CPCB morning readings of 304–307 reported by IANS and ANI, and appears to reflect a different time, station set or calculation method. This post uses the official CPCB morning figures (304 at 8.10am, 307 at 7am) and does not use the 452 figure.
Monday’s reading of 371 was the highest for a post-Diwali day since 2021, according to CPCB data. The overall AQI of the city was 370 at 8am on Monday and rose to 371 in the morning. With no rain forecast for five days and winds staying light, the official outlook is for pollution to remain in the “very poor” band, and the Stage III restrictions will stay in place until the air quality commission decides otherwise.
Sources: IANS via AsiaPost (10 Nov 2026); ANI via Apna MA TV (10 Nov 2026); Saptashwa TV (10 Nov 2026); DailyAQI live tracker (10 Nov 2026, conflicting figure flagged, not used).
