Overview
- Delhi’s air quality stayed in the ‘severe’ range for a second to third straight day (AQI ~418 on Wednesday, ~405 Thursday morning), with 25–27 of 39 stations above 400 and hotspots such as Bawana touching 460.
- Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan is in force across Delhi‑NCR, halting non‑essential construction, restricting BS‑III petrol and BS‑IV diesel cars, and shifting primary classes to hybrid mode.
- Attribution data from IITM’s Decision Support System shows stubble burning contributed a season‑high ~22.47% of Delhi’s PM2.5 on Wednesday, projected near 10% on Thursday as transport’s share rises.
- The Supreme Court directed Punjab and Haryana to file status reports on stubble‑burning controls, listing the matter for November 17 after noting ‘aggravated’ conditions.
- Lahore ranked second globally for pollution on IQAir with citywide hazardous spikes (local readings up to 647–855), hospitals reporting a surge in respiratory cases, and officials citing stepped‑up inspections and penalties across Punjab as other cities also hit dangerous AQI levels.