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31m ago

Delhi’s Air Quality Slides to Severe Threshold as NCR Leads Pollution Rankings

The Supreme Court cleared tougher GRAP curbs to tighten controls during the stagnant winter smog spell.

Delhi AQI
All 10 of the most polluted cities in India on Wednesday were in the National Capital Region.
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Experts say PM2.5 forms up to 60 percent of winter particulate load, with night hours seeing surges linked to clandestine burning. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

Overview

  • The capital’s overall AQI touched 400 on Thursday, with 21 of 39 monitoring stations in the severe band and Wazirpur peaking at 477, CPCB data showed.
  • Ghaziabad logged 427 and Noida 408 in the severe range, Greater Noida stood at 395 in very poor air, and Gurugram and Faridabad trailed at 302 and 266.
  • Official forecasts from EWS and IITM signal deterioration toward severe on November 22 and persistence of very poor to severe conditions for at least six days as winds stay weak and inversions form.
  • IITM’s Decision Support System estimated transport as the top PM2.5 contributor at about 18% on Wednesday with stubble burning down to roughly 2–4%, reinforcing that local emissions are driving the spike.
  • GRAP Stage-3 restrictions remain in force, Delhi authorities flagged 62 dust and garbage hotspots for targeted action, and the top court endorsed revisions to enable tougher controls.