Overview
- Delhi’s citywide AQI slipped back into the “poor” band on Friday with CPCB readings around 268–288 after trace rainfall, though several stations still registered “very poor” levels.
- The 24-hour AQI had jumped to 373 on Thursday—Delhi’s worst October reading since 2022—driven by calm winds, high humidity and temperature inversion that trapped pollutants near the surface.
- Independent analysis compared CPCB data with CAMS forecasts and flagged abrupt time-series swings, indicating a real spike and possible earlier underreporting rather than a sudden overnight surge alone.
- Mitigation steps remained in place under GRAP, including doubled NDMC parking fees, with a CAQM rule barring entry of non‑BS‑VI commercial goods vehicles into Delhi effective November 1.
- Across Pakistan’s Punjab, IQAir reported “hazardous” air with Faisalabad near 554, as provincial authorities intensified enforcement by issuing over 10,000 notices and sealing or fining non‑compliant factories and brick kilns.