Delhi chokes under thick smog as AQI jumps to ‘severe’ category, IMD ...
Delhi remained under a thick haze on Saturday as air pollution intensified, with the city’s air quality hovering on the edge of the ‘severe’ zone before deteriorating further in the evening. As per latest live data, the city’s AQI is 266 and is placed under the severe category. The national capital sky stayed covered under a dull grey cover, and several pockets saw pollution levels in the severe range, even as visibility dipped in parts of the city. The pollution crisis is also coinciding with a fog spell. The IMD has predicted dense to very dense fog and has also issued an orange alert for Delhi for Sunday. Temperatures are expected to be around 23 degrees Celsius (maximum) and 9 degrees Celsius (minimum).Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI at 4 pm on Saturday was recorded at 398, close to the ‘severe’ category, whereas hourly reading on CPCB’s SAMEER app displayed AQI slipping into the ‘severe’ category at 401 by 5 pm. Out of 40 monitoring stations, 22 were in ‘severe’ and 17 in ‘very poor’. According to the Air Quality Early Warning System prediction, Delhi’s air quality is expected to remain in the severe category on Sunday and Monday, before improving marginally to very poor on Tuesday.
#WATCH | Delhi | Visuals around the Signature Bridge area as a layer of toxic smog engulfs the national capital. CAQM (Commission for Air Quality Management) has invoked all actions under GRAP Stage-IV in Delhi-NCR.
AQI (Air Quality Index) around the area is 452, categorised… pic.twitter.com/kVnnzyDBvq
— ANI (@ANI) December 21, 2025
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Here’s the area-wise AQI of Delhi as per CPCB live data
Area/StationAQICategoryChandni Chowk452SevereWazirpur446SevereJahangirpuri440SevereAnand Vihar438SevereDTU433SevereMundka434SevereAshok Vihar428SevereDwarka Sector 8414SevereSonia Vihar412SeverePatparganj410SevereBurari Crossing383SevereNorth Campus398Very PoorR K Puram397Very PoorSri Aurobindo Marg367Very PoorIIT Delhi347Very PoorIGI Airport (T3)333Very PoorGRAP-IV enforcement tightens
With air quality deteriorating further, restrictions were implemented under GRAP-IV, including a ban on the entrance of non-Delhi private vehicles that do not comply with BS-VI standards, and enforcement of the ‘No PUC, No Fuel’ rule, as per a report by PTI. To ensure rules are being complied with, ANPR cameras and voice alerts at fuel stations, along with police support, are in place.
#WATCH | Delhi | Visuals around the Dhaula Kuan area as a layer of toxic smog engulfs the national capital. CAQM (Commission for Air Quality Management) has invoked all actions under GRAP Stage-IV in Delhi-NCR.
AQI (Air Quality Index) around the area is 397, categorised as 'Very… pic.twitter.com/R7ebQAI5oV
— ANI (@ANI) December 21, 2025
ALSO READIMD sounds orange alert as extreme fog descends on Delhi-NCR, air quality turns ‘severe’ again
Meanwhile, the Delhi Traffic Police have put in round-the-clock arrangements at the city’s borders to enforce GRAP-IV provisions. Additional CP (Traffic) Dinesh Kumar Gupta stated to ANI that 422 fines have been collected related to BS6 vehicles, while also pushing awareness drives in neighbouring states through government advertisements.
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