The national capital has recorded ‘poor’ air quality for the past two days after showing improvement from the ‘very poor’ category on Sunday as the AQI dropped to 279 from 305 on Saturday. According to CPCB, Nehru Nagar recorded the highest AQI in the city at 354 as of 7 am, putting it in the ‘very poor’ category.
Other severely affected areas included Rohini (341), Bawana (339), RK Puram (336), Mundka (330) and Punjabi Bagh (328), all of which continued to experience hazardous air quality. At the lower end of the spectrum, NSIT Dwarka recorded the lowest AQI at 195 and fell under the ‘moderate’ category. This was followed by Mandir Marg at 207 and IGI Airport T3 at 248, which, while still unhealthy, reflected relatively better air quality than most other monitoring stations in the city.
Several other major stations, including Anand Vihar (325), Jahangirpuri (321), Vivek Vihar (321), Shadipur (324) and Pusa (322), remained in the ‘very poor’ category, highlighting the widespread nature of pollution in Delhi.
Meanwhile, the air quality scenario in Delhi-NCR has shown consistent improvement this year, with the region recording the lowest average AQI for the January-November period in the last eight years, barring 2020 – the COVID-19 lockdown year, according to data shared on Sunday.
According to official figures, Delhi’s average AQI between January and November 2025 was 187, an improvement from 201 in 2024, 190 in 2023, 199 in 2022, 197 in 2021, 203 in 2019 and 213 in 2018. According to CPCB, the AQI ranges from 0 to 500, is divided into six categories, each reflecting the level of pollution and associated health risks. An AQI between 0 and 50 is classified as “Good”, indicating minimal or no health effects.
AQI levels of 51 to 100 fall into the ‘Satisfactory’ category, with air quality remaining acceptable, although sensitive groups such as children, the elderly and those with respiratory problems may experience mild discomfort. The ‘Moderate’ category, ranging from 101 to 200, signals increasing levels of pollution that can cause breathing difficulties in people with asthma, lung disease or heart disease.
An AQI between 201 and 300 is considered “poor,” a range in which long-term exposure can cause respiratory problems in most people, not just those with pre-existing health problems. This level has become increasingly common in several parts of the capital during the winter.
Levels between 301 and 400 are marked as “very poor,” which poses a risk of respiratory illness even for healthy individuals when exposure continues for long periods. The most dangerous category, ‘Severe’, includes AQI values from 401 to 500. At this stage, air quality becomes dangerous for everyone.
Published on December 1, 2025
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