Delhi Continues To Breathe 'Very Poor' Air As Battle With Smog Continues; AQI At 304

Delhi's air quality improved slightly on Sunday morning, but still remained in the 'very poor' category. The winter chill and foggy conditions added to the breathing difficulty.

Delhi recorded an AQI of 304 on Sunday morning, according to CPCB's reading at 8 AM.

Source : ANI

Delhi struggled to breathe on Sunday as it woke up to a blanket of thick smog, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) clocking in at 304. Though a notch better than Saturday's levels, the air quality still remained 'very poor'. Chilly single-digit temperatures added to the discomfort, as cold wave gripped the national capital.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) readings at 8 AM, Mundka topped the charts with a staggering AQI of 363. Across Delhi's 39 monitoring stations, 26 stations logged 'very poor' air, while the other 13 fell into the 'poor' range.

#WATCH | Delhi | Visuals from the Anand Vihar area as a layer of toxic smog blankets the city. AQI (Air Quality Index) around the area is 327, categorised as 'Very Poor', as claimed by CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board). pic.twitter.com/rFF1fh6Thz

— ANI (@ANI) December 7, 2025

Stations like Alipur (282), NSIT Dwarka (227), Mandir Marg (212), Lodhi Road (278), IGI Airport (225), and Aya Nagar (261), along with eight others, recorded 'poor' AQI, but levels remained concerning.​ 

CPCB classifies AQI from 0-50 as 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', and 401-500 'severe'.

Delhi's AQI started at 279 last Sunday, climbing to 304 on Monday, and peaking near severe at 372 on Tuesday. It then dipped to 342 on Wednesday, climbed at 304 again (very poor) on Thursday, before finally hitting 327 on Friday.​ On Saturday the AQI stood at 330. 

Meanwhile, according to the Decision Support System (DSS) for Delhi’s air quality management, the highest local contributor remained vehicular emissions at 15.3 per cent. Industries in Delhi and surrounding areas added 7.6 per cent, followed by residential emissions (3.7 per cent), construction dust (2.1 per cent) and waste burning (1.3 per cent).

The DSS analysis also showed that among neighbouring NCR districts, Jhajjar contributed 14.3 per cent pollutants, Rohtak 5 per cent, Sonipat 3.8 per cent, Bhiwani 2.5 per cent, and Gurugram 1.5 per cent. 

Delhi Shivers Amid Cold Wave Forecast

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast Sunday's lows at 9°C and highs at 24°C under partly cloudy skies, with shallow fog likely in the morning.

Saturday saw a max of 24.6°C (0.7°C below normal) and a min of 6.8°C (2.7°C below normal), with evening humidity at 56% after peaking at 95% early. Travellers and commuters were advised to brace for reduced visibility and ongoing haze.

On Friday, the capital recorded a maximum temperature of 23.5 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature settled at 5.6 degrees Celsius. This was 3.9 notches below normal and the lowest of the season so far, according to the IMD.