Delhi AQI: Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) took a hit on Tuesday, a day after Diwali celebrations. According to the latest Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) data, Delhi’s AQI stood at 351 at 4 pm today, indicating a ‘very poor’ air quality category.
“#AQI #Delhi at 16:00 today (last 24 hour average),” CAQM said in a post on X on Tuesday.
The sharp drop in Delhi’s AQI comes a day after Diwali, with the Supreme Court allowing the popping of green crackers for two hours this year. However, the residents defied the SC order and continued to burst crackers even after the allotted slot ended.
Delhi AQI today: What does the latest data say?
According to the latest data from CAQM, Delhi’s AQI averaged 351 in the ‘very poor’ category in the last 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Noida’s AQI scored 321, also in the ‘very poor’ category, while Gurugram’s AQI was recorded at 370, which also translates into the ‘very poor’ category.
Bawana recorded an AQI of 424 and remains the only area with air quality falling into the ‘severe’ category. AQI in Anand Vihar stood at 332, Ashok Vihar 373, Burari Crossing 388, IGI Airport (Terminal 3) 295, ITO 349, Lodhi Road 334, Mundka 380, Najafgarh 312, Narela 363, Patparganj Bagh 32.
Read also | Will you make Diwali responsible, asks Delhi Minister; provides pollution data for 2020
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.
Delhi AQI at worst levels after Diwali in 4 years
Delhi’s AQI was at its worst post-Diwali since 2021, with PM2.5 levels rising to 488 micrograms per cubic meter in the 24 hours after Diwali. This was more than three times the pre-festival level of 156.6 micrograms per cubic meter.
Read also | Delhi AQI crosses 1000 after Diwali? Has and has not. Here is the truth
CPCB’s analysis of data from 2021 to 2025 shows that Delhi’s AQI and PM2.5 levels in the air steadily worsened during Diwali night and early the next morning.
PM2.5 levels after Diwali in 2025 were the worst since 2021, making Delhi’s worst AQI in 4 years after the festival.
Delhi AQI: Govt blames AAP in Punjab
After AQI’s toxic Delhi after Diwali, the state government has accused the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab of forcing farmers to burn stubble.
Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa told a press conference that AAP was “playing politics”.
Sirsa said that every religion has the right to celebrate its festival, suggesting that bursting crackers is an indispensable way of celebrating Diwali.
He pointed out that despite the lifting of the ban on green firecrackers this year, Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) increased only marginally, from 345 before Diwali to 356 the following morning, an increase of “just 11 points”.
It increased by 32 units last year and by 83 units in 2023, he pointed out.
Read also | SC chose ‘right to burn crackers’ over ‘right to live’, says Amitabh Kant
“This small increase of just 11 points was observed this year even though the highest number of stubble burning cases was reported last night,” he said, showing videos of alleged crop residue burning in Punjab.
Punjab reports 3x jump in stubble burning
Data from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) showed that 353 cases of stubble burning have been reported from the state so far this season.
This is a more than three-fold jump in the number of stubble burning cases in the past 10 days, when the numbers stood at just 116 until October 11.
Most of the cases were reported from Tarn Taran and Amritsar, both located about 450 kilometers from Delhi.
Tarn Taran district with 125 cases has so far recorded the maximum number of stubble burning cases followed by Amritsar with 112 cases.
