Of Delhi’s 39 monitoring stations, 35 registered readings in the very poor range, while the remaining four reported poor air quality. A layer of smog blanketed the capital on Saturday, with the AQI settling at 333 in the ‘very poor’ category, marginally higher than yesterday, as the city continued to shiver in the cold. The India Meteorological Department informed that Friday was the coldest December morning so far this year with the mercury dipping to 5.6 degrees Celsius.
Mundka reported the worst AQI at 381, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data at 7 am. Of Delhi’s 39 monitoring stations, 35 registered readings in the very poor range, while the remaining four reported poor air quality.
Stations recording very poor air quality included RK Puram (364), Punjabi Bagh (348), Chandni Chowk (348), Rohini (374), Vivek Vihar (309), Bawana (375), Siri Fort (343), Wazirpur (359), Anand Vihar (366), Ashok Vihar (348), and Sonia Vihar (352).
According to Delhi’s Decision Support System (DSS) for air quality management, vehicular emissions remained the largest local contributor at 15.3 per cent. Industries within Delhi and nearby regions contributed 7.6 per cent, followed by residential sources (3.7 per cent), construction dust (2.1 per cent) and waste burning (1.3 per cent).
Delhi’s air quality fluctuated sharply through the week. The city reported an AQI of 279 on Sunday, which rose to 304 on Monday. Pollution levels spiked to 372 on Tuesday, nearing the ‘severe’ category, before easing slightly to 342 on Wednesday. On Thursday, the AQI remained in the ‘very poor’ range at 304 and Friday it was recorded at 327.Commenting on the capital’s air quality, Mohammad Rafiuddin, Programme Lead at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), said Delhi stayed in the ‘very poor’ category on most days last week.
The capital recorded a maximum temperature of 23.5 degrees Celsius on Friday, while the minimum dropped to 5.6 degrees Celsius, which is 3.9 degrees below normal and the lowest of the season so far, according to the India Meteorological Department.
https://www.indiatoday.in/cities/delhi/story/delhi-air-quality-aqi-smog-stations-at-very-poor-pollution-333-2831664-2025-12-06