Delhi woke up on Sunday to yet another day of suffocating air, as pollution levels across the national capital remained deeply entrenched in the ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ categories. Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), supplemented by real-time readings from the Sameer mobile application, revealed that the city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 391 on Sunday morning—barely shy of sliding into the ‘severe’ band. Despite ongoing preventive measures under Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), the air quality continued to deteriorate, with 22 monitoring stations registering ‘severe’ air pollution and another dozen reporting ‘very poor’ readings above 300.

The spike in pollution follows a trend that has become almost predictable in the aftermath of Diwali. Over the past several days, Delhi and its adjoining National Capital Region (NCR) have witnessed AQI levels oscillating between ‘poor’ and ‘very poor,’ driven by a combination of firecracker residue, vehicular emissions, stagnant wind conditions, and seasonal stubble burning in neighbouring states. Even though the pollution control measures under GRAP are in place, authorities have refrained from invoking Stage III, which would impose stricter restrictions on construction, industrial activity, transportation, and public mobility.

The city’s monitoring grid, which spans dozens of stations, reflected a starkly uneven air quality landscape on Sunday. While a single locality reported air quality in the ‘moderate’ category, much of the rest of Delhi struggled under dangerously toxic conditions. NSIT Dwarka emerged as the lone outlier, with an AQI reading of 198, making it the only site to record an AQI below 200 and the day’s cleanest pocket of air. This reading, although still in the ‘moderate’ range, highlighted the sharp contrast with the rest of the city.

A small number of areas managed to stay within the ‘poor’ range. These included the Dilshad Garden station at IHBAS, which recorded an AQI of 263, and Lodhi Road (307), monitored by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM). Beyond these few pockets, however, the majority of the capital’s neighbourhoods were engulfed in hazardous concentrations of airborne pollutants that far exceeded permissible limits.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Bawana reported the most alarming AQI of the day at 438, marking it as the most polluted locality in Delhi on Sunday morning. Bawana was closely followed by Jahangirpuri (436) and Rohini (435), which have consistently featured among Delhi’s most polluted areas during winter months. Industrial and high-density residential zones such as Wazirpur (430), Mundka (428), and Burari Crossing (428) continued to reel under similar conditions, registering AQI values firmly within the ‘severe’ category.

The list of severely polluted areas extended further, encompassing Nehru Nagar (425), Patparganj (424), RK Puram (423), Vivek Vihar (423), and ITO (421). These concentrations reflected widespread poor dispersion and heightened pollution loads. Border areas such as Narela (418), Anand Vihar (410), and Alipur (414) also remained heavily contaminated, a trend that is often exacerbated by incoming pollution from neighbouring states. Commercial hubs and high-traffic zones—including Chandni Chowk (405) and Okhla Phase-2 (404)—painted a picture of relentless emissions and stagnation. Recreational and mixed-use localities such as Sirifort (403) and the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range (406) were not spared either, rounding off the count of 22 stations recording ‘severe’ AQI above 400.

Beyond this, a wide cluster of nearly a dozen other locations reported air quality in the ‘very poor’ range. These included North Campus (DU) at 399, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at 391, and Mandir Marg at 390. Dwarka Sector-8, Pusa (both IMD and DPCC stations), Lodhi Road (IMD), Sri Aurobindo Marg, Aya Nagar, IGI Airport Terminal 3, Shadipur, and Najafgarh all logged AQI readings between 350 and 399. Conditions in these zones hovered at levels known to trigger respiratory discomfort even among healthy individuals, while posing significant risks for children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing respiratory or cardiovascular conditions.

The granular list of AQI rankings underscored the degree of pollution spread across the capital, presented from the most contaminated area to the least polluted one. Bawana occupied the top position with an AQI of 438, while NSIT Dwarka, at the bottom of the list with 198, stood as the day’s only relative haven. The mid-range of the list, comprising neighbourhoods such as Lodhi Road (307), DTU (317), and other pockets in West, East, and South Delhi, reflected how even the ‘cleaner’ corners of the city were far from meeting healthy air standards.

The pollution levels in Delhi also coincided with concerning patterns emerging in the wider NCR. According to CPCB data, Noida and Ghaziabad logged their poorest October air quality in at least five years. Noida’s average AQI for October 2025 stood at 236, substantially higher than its averages of 205, 202, 211, and 181 over the previous four years. Ghaziabad followed a similar trend with an October average of 227, surpassing figures recorded from 2019 to 2023. These deteriorations indicate that NCR’s air quality crisis is neither limited to winter months nor confined to the capital alone; instead, it reflects a regional problem that intensifies annually despite seasonal interventions.

The broader challenge lies in the interplay of various pollution sources. Delhi’s winter pollution is a product of low wind speeds, temperature inversion, and limited atmospheric dispersal, which trap pollutants close to the ground. The city’s high vehicular load, ongoing construction activity in several corridors, and industrial emissions contribute heavily to baseline pollution. Post-harvest crop residue burning in Punjab and Haryana compounds the problem, regularly accounting for a sizeable share of particulate matter during peak burning days.

Despite the implementation of Stage II measures under GRAP—which impose limitations on diesel generator sets, enhanced mechanised sweeping, and restrictions on certain commercial activities—the pollutant concentration remains stubbornly high. Authorities have so far held back from invoking Stage III, which would involve halting non-essential construction, restricting stone crushers, closing brick kilns, and intensifying public transport advisories. Policymakers often hesitate to deploy the strictest measures due to the economic and logistical disruptions these steps can cause.

The day’s AQI readings underline the acute nature of Delhi’s air crisis and reinforce the pattern seen year after year: a sharp rise in pollution following Diwali, sustained high levels through November and December, and a complex mixture of local and regional factors driving the degradation. With most neighbourhoods registering air quality in categories known to have serious health implications, the situation demands comprehensive, long-term solutions rather than routine seasonal interventions.

What emerges from Sunday’s data is a clear picture of a city grappling with hazardous air on a massive scale, where only one locality enjoyed relatively tolerable conditions while dozens faced air quality severe enough to impair respiratory function within hours of exposure. As winter progresses, the challenge is expected to intensify, placing renewed pressure on environmental regulators, civic authorities, and policymakers to implement measures that go beyond short-term emergency responses.