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Delhi-NCR Air Quality Back in ‘Severe’ as GRAP Stage IV Reimposed

Forecasters expect a slight improvement to very poor conditions with potential rain around January 23.

Overview

  • Delhi’s 24-hour AQI hit about 440 on Sunday and hovered near 418 on Monday morning, with hotspots such as Anand Vihar peaking around 497 on the CPCB scale.
  • Stage‑IV curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan are in force across NCR, halting most construction and demolition, restricting entry of polluting trucks, and shifting lower classes to hybrid learning.
  • Dense fog cut visibility across the capital and contributed to major travel disruptions, with more than 500 flight delays reported at Delhi airport.
  • Attribution data from IITM’s Decision Support System identified transport as the top contributor to PM2.5 (~10.6%), followed by industry (~7.7%), with notable external inputs from Baghpat and Ghaziabad.
  • Experts flagged stagnant winds and moisture as key drivers of the spike, as the Supreme Court’s earlier order presses CAQM to publish a source‑apportionment exercise within two weeks.