Particle.news
Download on the App Store
113 ARTICLES
·
1h ago

Cold Snap Traps Smog in Delhi, Air Quality ‘Very Poor’ With ‘Severe’ Hotspots

Forecasts point to several more days of unhealthy air with GRAP Stage 3 curbs in force.

Image
A cold wave is announced when the minimum temperature falls below 10°C, with a departure of 4.5°C or more below normal for two days in a row.
Garbage burns along South Side GT Road in the Industrial Area near Vijay Nagar, sending up black smoke and adding to rising pollution levels in Ghaziabad,
A man travelled from Delhi to Singapore, posting how the shift from hazardous air to clearer skies felt like a major relief.

Overview

  • Delhi recorded an overall AQI of about 341 on Tuesday morning, the fifth straight day in the ‘very poor’ band, with Bawana (419), Wazirpur (410) and Jahangirpuri (414) in the ‘severe’ range.
  • The city’s 24-hour average AQI eased to 351 on Monday from 377 on Sunday as winds picked up, but the Early Warning System says levels will stay ‘very poor’ and could slip to ‘severe’ through Wednesday.
  • Minimum temperatures fell to 8.7–9.6°C, the lowest November readings since 2022, as cold, stable air, shallow fog and weak dispersion trapped PM2.5 and PM10 near the surface.
  • Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan, activated on November 11, remains in effect with tighter curbs on construction, certain vehicles and industrial operations, plus school and public health advisories.
  • Ghaziabad topped national pollution charts on Monday with an AQI of 401, the Decision Support System flagged a declining stubble-burning contribution (roughly 8–12%), and the Supreme Court declined blanket year-round curbs while seeking state reports on farm fires.