Overview
- Delhi’s 24-hour AQI hovered around 391–392 on Wednesday with CPCB data showing 16–18 of 38–39 stations in the ‘severe’ band.
- Neighbouring NCR hotspots worsened, with Greater Noida at 454 and Ghaziabad at 434, while multiple Delhi localities crossed 400.
- Regulators rejected claims of an emergency escalation, with the CAQM confirming that GRAP Stage-IV has not been invoked and Stage-III continues.
- IMD and the Centre’s Early Warning System expect low wind speeds below 10 km/hr to trap pollutants in the ‘very poor’ range for several days, as DSS analysis attributes roughly 18% of PM2.5 to transport and about 5% to stubble burning.
- In Pakistan, Lahore reported slight improvement from earlier peaks yet stayed heavily polluted, as national advisories warned of worsening smog across Punjab and the Pothohar region.