Delhi recorded “very poor” air quality early Sunday as several areas woke up to dense fog and cold wave-like conditions. Pollution levels stayed dangerously high across the national capital. Meanwhile, neighbouring Noida reported “severe” air quality, with an AQI of 415, raising fresh concerns for the entire region.

Although Delhi avoided crossing into the severe category overnight, the AQI hovered close to that mark, showing no meaningful improvement.

Pollution Levels Rose Steadily on Saturday

Air quality in Delhi worsened gradually on Saturday. According to official data, the AQI stood at 385, which falls in the “very poor” category, at 4 pm. However, pollution continued to build up as the day progressed.

By 6 pm, the AQI increased to 390. It rose further to 391 by 10 pm, reflecting a steady accumulation of pollutants through the evening hours.

Delhi AQI Early Sunday Morning

Data from the Sameer app, developed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), showed that Delhi’s AQI stood at 391 at 6:05 am on Sunday.

Out of 39 active monitoring stations, 20 stations recorded “severe” air quality. These included heavily polluted areas such as Anand Vihar, Chandni Chowk, Jahangirpuri, Shadipur, and Wazirpur, where AQI readings crossed 400.

All remaining stations reported “very poor” air quality, with AQI values ranging between 301 and 400. Only NSIT Dwarka showed relatively better conditions, recording an AQI of 214, which falls under the “poor” category.

Understanding AQI Categories

The CPCB classifies air quality based on AQI values. Readings between 51 and 100 are considered satisfactory. Levels from 101 to 200 fall in the moderate range. AQI values between 201 and 300 are labelled poor, while readings from 301 to 400 are categorised as very poor. Any AQI reading above 400 is classified as severe.

Fog and Cold Conditions Keep Pollution Trapped

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow alert for Sunday morning in Delhi. It warned of dense fog and cold wave-like conditions, which experts said would prevent pollutants from dispersing.

Such weather conditions usually reduce wind movement. As a result, pollution remains suspended in the lower atmosphere, keeping AQI levels high.

Low Wind Speed Blamed for Pollution Spike

Weather experts said weak winds played a major role in the rise in pollution. An earlier HT report quoted Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet, as saying, “The wind speed was very low on Saturday. The average speed was around 4-5 kmph, with the wind speed reaching 8-9 kmph only for a few hours in the afternoon and then again dropping by the evening. As a result, Delhi saw a spike in pollution. Similar wind conditions will persist till January 1, 2026, due to the influence of a western disturbance,”

This indicates that weather conditions will continue to favour pollution build-up in the coming days.

Air Quality Expected to Stay Very Poor

The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi (AQEWS) has predicted that pollution levels will remain high over the next several days.

In its bulletin, it said, “The air quality is likely to be in the ‘very poor’ category from Sunday to Tuesday. The outlook for the subsequent six days is that the air quality is likely to be in the ‘very poor’ category,”

This forecast suggests that residents should not expect immediate relief.

No Change in GRAP Restrictions

Despite persistently poor air quality, authorities have not announced additional curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). At present, Stages One to Three continue to remain in force. Stage Four restrictions were withdrawn last Wednesday and have not been reintroduced so far.