Post-Diwali air pollution: Delhi’s AQI slips to ‘severe’; Mumbai, Chennai wake up to smog

Thick smog engulfed several parts of the capital and reduced visibility during the early hours of the morning. File | Photo credit: ANI

Delhi’s air quality index edged close to the ‘severe’ mark on Monday (Nov 9, 2026) as a thick layer of toxic haze engulfed the Indian capital. Despite strict restrictions on fireworks imposed by the Supreme Court, people defied the deadline well past 10 pm on Deepavali night.

According to Central Pollution Control Board’s Live Dashboard, Delhi’s AQI levels rose to 404 at 4 am today and have been calm since then.

Burari Crossing recorded the highest value of 441, followed by Vivek Vihar at 437, Delhi Technological University (DTU) at 434, North Campus of Delhi University and Jahangirpuri at 433 and Rohini at 430.

Apart from the national capital, AQI has also taken a hit in several other Indian cities. Mumbai saw hazy conditions, with a thick layer of smog covering Kalanagar and Bandra areas as air quality deteriorated.

According to monitoring data, Kherwadi-Bandra East recorded an AQI of 264, followed by Sewri at 226, Ghatkopar at 221 and Chembur at 216. Byculla recorded an AQI of 193, Mindspace-Malad West 191, Kandivali West 187 and Worli recorded an AQI of 148.

In Uttar Pradesh, a thick layer of smog blanketed Lucknow as several parts of the city woke up to foggy conditions.

AQI increases seen across Indian cities

The northern and western hubs bore the brunt of pollution, with Lucknow (246), Amritsar (242), Jodhpur (234), Ahmedabad (230), Dehradun (228), Jaipur (223), Udaipur (223) and Surat (207) all slipping into the ‘poor’ category.

Mid- and industrial belts similarly saw increases in values, including Nagpur (239), Pune (221), Bhopal (205), Mumbai (171) and Kolkata (167), exacerbated by Deepavali emissions.

Meanwhile, southern cities maintained relatively cleaner profiles, with Chennai scoring 208 (“poor”), while Bangalore (127), Hyderabad (120) and Thiruvananthapuram (67) recorded moderate to satisfactory air quality levels.

GRAP Phase III restrictions imposed

According to the CPCB classification, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered “good”, 51-100 as “satisfactory”, 101-200 as “moderate”, 201-300 as “poor”, 301-400 as “very poor” and 401-500 as “s”.

With Phase III measures in place following CAQM’s decision, existing restrictions will continue, along with additional pollution control measures, increased enforcement and guidance to relevant authorities to prevent further deterioration of air quality.

The Emergency Action Plan applies to Delhi and the adjoining districts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. It is implemented as a precautionary measure based on meteorological and pollution forecasts provided by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), which allows restrictions to be imposed before city-wide AQI levels reach the “severe” category.

GRAP is a four-tier crisis framework managed by CAQM in coordination with CPCB and regional state governments. Restrictions are gradually becoming stricter as air quality deteriorates.

(With ANI inputs)

Published – 9 Nov 2026 09:50 IST