Delhi residents continue to breathe ‘very bad’ air amid alarming levels of air pollution. The overall air quality index (AQI) in the national capital remained at 360 at 6 am on Monday morning, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Due to adverse weather conditions and low temperature, pollutants get trapped near the surface, adding to the woes of Delhi residents.
On November 16, the national capital recorded extremely low temperatures, making it the coldest November day in three years, since November 29, 2022, when Delhi recorded a temperature of 7.3 degrees Celsius. The mercury dropped to a low of 9 degrees Celsius, nearly 4.5 degrees below normal. Last year, the coldest day of the month was November 29, when the temperature reached 9.5 degrees Celsius.
As a thick layer of smog covers the capital, there seems to be no respite anytime soon. The weather forecast for the next 6 days does not predict the possibility of rain and suggests that the smog is here to stay.
According to data from the Sameer CPCB app, a total of 6 air quality monitoring stations recorded AQIs in the ‘severe’ category, with Bawana recording the worst air quality. Monitoring stations of NSIT Dwarka, Lodhi Road and Dilshad Garden recorded the best air quality, falling in the ‘poor’ range.
While the remaining stations recorded readings between 301 and 400, they were in the ‘very poor’ category as per CPCB standards. As pollution levels entered the ‘severe’ category last week, Delhi-NCR schools switched to hybrid mode for primary classes.
The IMD in its latest press release said, “Minimum temperatures will be below normal (-1.6 to -3.0) to markedly below normal (-3.1 to -5.0°C) during the next 05 days… Mostly clear Shallow fog at most places and light fog at isolated places during morning hours on 17th November and 219th November and 218th November partly clear with partly clear skies moderate fog in the morning hours from November 18 to 22, 2025.
Delhi Minimum and Maximum Temperature
Today, the minimum temperature is expected to hover somewhere between 8 and 10 degrees Celsius, while the maximum temperature is expected to settle between 24 and 26 degrees Celsius.
On 11 November, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked Phase 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) III to control pollution. These pollution control measures impose stricter restrictions on construction, vehicle movement and industrial operations. Amid the air pollution crisis, the Supreme Court has directed the Punjab and Haryana governments to report on the status of measures taken to control stubble burning.
According to an ANI report, the CAQM is examining a plan to install dust sensors along key stretches of Delhi and the adjoining NCR region, which is one of the major contributors to the capital’s particulate load, besides stubble burning and vehicular emissions.
