Air quality in Delhi improves to ‘moderate’ after 3 days of ‘poor’ quality.

A thick layer of toxic foam covers the surface of the Yamuna river amid the haze, in New Delhi, October 24, 2026 | Photo credit: PTI

Air quality in Delhi improved to ‘moderate’ category on Saturday (Oct 24, 2026) morning after three consecutive days of ‘poor’ air, offering residents some respite.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 185 (moderate) on Saturday (October 24, 2026) at 9:00 am compared to the 24-hour average of 230 (poor) on Friday (October 23, 2026) at 4:00 pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

According to CPCB standards, an AQI of 0-50 is considered “good”, 51-100 “satisfactory”, 101-200 “moderate”, 201-300 “poor”, 301-400 “very poor” and 401-500 “severe”.

The city also witnessed a slight drop in the minimum temperature on Saturday (October 24, 2026), with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting partly cloudy skies for the next few days.

Safdarjung, the city’s weather official, recorded a minimum temperature of 18.3 degrees Celsius, 1.1 degrees above normal but 0.7 degrees lower than the previous day.

Other weather stations also recorded a slight decrease in minimum temperatures. Palam recorded a minimum of 17.6 degrees Celsius, down 0.7 degrees from the day before; Lodhi Road recorded a minimum of 17.6 degrees and Ayanagar recorded a minimum of 17 degrees.

The day’s maximum temperature is likely to settle between 32 and 34 degrees Celsius, the IMD said.

Published – 24 Oct 2026 11:18 IST