Delhi-NCR air quality remains in ‘very poor’ category with persistent smog, AQI at 333; Check area-wise pollution level here

The national capital woke up to a blanket of toxic smog on Saturday morning, with the average Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 333 in the “very poor” category at 7 am, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Despite a slight improvement over recent weeks, parts of the city remained shrouded in a dense layer of toxic smoke.

Dense fog was reported in many areas, including Ghazipur Mandi, Anand Vihar and Wazirpur, early this morning and visibility was significantly reduced. According to CPCB, many areas of the National Capital fall under the ‘very poor’ category.

The area around Anand Vihar was shrouded in a thick layer of toxic smoke and its AQI was in the ‘very poor’ category of 366. According to CPCB data, Sonia Vihar recorded AQI of 352, Wazirpur 359 and Ghazipur Mandi recorded 366.

Bawana recorded the highest AQI of 375 at 7 am, placing him in the “very poor” category. In comparison, NSIT Dwarka recorded an AQI of 260, which falls in the ‘poor’ category, as per data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The India Gate and Kartavya Road area is shrouded in a layer of toxic smog covering the city. The AQI (Air Quality Index) in the area is 311, classified as ‘Very Poor’.

According to the AQI classification, 0-50 is ‘good’, 51-100 is ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 is ‘moderate’, 201-300 is ‘poor’, 301-400 is ‘very poor’ and 401-500 is ‘severe’. In addition to tackling the ever-deteriorating air quality in the national capital and adjoining areas, the Ministry of Health, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, has issued a notification regarding alarming pollution levels in Delhi.

The statement made on Friday was made by Deputy Dr. It was published in response to Laxmikant Bajpayee’s question in the Rajya Sabha whether it was true that “one in every seven deaths in Delhi can be attributed to the city’s toxic air, as claimed by several studies and reported in the media”.

Kirti Vardhan Singh, Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, responded by saying that various studies have been conducted by academic and research institutes on the impact of air pollution. Throughout 2025, not a single day has seen the AQI reach the significantly positive level in Delhi.

The government continues to take measures to solve the problem in Delhi-NCR.

The government has established the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) under the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjacent Areas Act, 2021 to oversee air quality management in Delhi-NCR and adjoining areas. The Commission is addressing the issue of air pollution in Delhi-NCR through a collective, collaborative and participatory approach involving all major stakeholders.

The Commission issued 95 Statutory Instructions to direct and direct various actions to reduce air pollution in the region and prepared a Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to combat pollution during the peak winter months. The government has also introduced stricter emission norms for polluting activities in NCR and held regular review meetings to monitor progress.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from ANI)