Delhi Chokes Under Haze as Air Quality Dips to 'Very Poor'

A dense layer of haze and fog blanketed Delhi on Thursday morning (October 30, 2025), trapping pollutants and pushing the city’s air quality into the “very poor” category after several days of “poor” levels.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 357, up from 279 a day earlier.

The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi noted that the city’s ventilation index — a key measure of the atmosphere’s ability to disperse pollutants — remained below the favourable level of 6,000 m²/s. Calm winds under 10 kmph and thick fog prevented pollutant dispersion, leading to a hazy skyline.

At 7:30 a.m., the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported visibility of 1,000 metres in Palam and 800 metres in Safdarjung, both under calm conditions. Areas such as Kartavya Path, Anand Vihar, Burari, and Akshardham were heavily shrouded in fog during the early hours.

Localities like Vivek Vihar (AQI 415) and Anand Vihar (AQI 408) slipped into the “severe” category, while 33 monitoring stations across the capital recorded “very poor” air quality, CPCB data showed.

Meteorologists attributed the worsening conditions to weak winds, high humidity (90%), and temperature inversion, which trapped pollutants close to the surface.

The minimum temperature settled at 20.1°C, four notches above normal, while the maximum temperature is expected to hover around 30°C with shallow fog likely to persist through the evening, the IMD forecasted.