Delhi’s air quality slips to ‘very poor’; AQI crosses 350 in several areas, GRAP II imposed

The air quality of Delhi has turned into the "very poor" category on Thursday after remaining "poor" for the past few days. The city has been enveloped by haze and fog, resulting in trapping the pollutants. The fall in the quality of air was accompanied by reduced visibility across multiple parts of the city, which comes after fog and calm winds trapped pollutants close to the ground.

As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 357 as compared to 279 a day earlier. Meanwhile, the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi highlighted that the ventilation index of the city, showing the ability of the atmosphere to spread pollutants, remained under the favourable level of 6,000 m/s, according to the news agency PTI.

Light winds blowing at less than 10 kmph, combined with dense fog, have hindered the dispersion of pollutants, leading to a hazy sky. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported visibility levels of 1,000 metres in Palam and 800 metres in Safdarjung.

Areas such as Kartavya Path, Anand Vihar, Burari and Akshardham were shrouded in fog during the early morning hours. Vivek Vihar and Anand Vihar also registered “severe” air quality on Monday, recording AQI levels of 415 and 408, respectively. Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed that 33 monitoring stations across Delhi reported “very poor” air quality, with readings exceeding 300.

As per CPCB standards, an AQI reading between 0 and 50 is classified as ‘good’, 51–100 as ‘satisfactory’, 101–200 as ‘moderate’, 201–300 as ‘poor’, 301–400 as ‘very poor’, and 401–500 as ‘severe’.

GRAP II imposed

Meanwhile, the Commission for Air Quality Management implemented GRAP II measures and banned non-BS-VI compliant commercial vehicles from entering the capital from November 1.

A public notice released by the transport department on Tuesday (Oct 28, 2025) confirmed that entry of all BS-IV commercial goods vehicles will be allowed in Delhi up to October 31, 2026, as a transitional measure. However, commercial goods vehicles registered in Delhi, BS-VI diesel vehicles, BS-IV diesel vehicles (till October 31, 2026), and those powered by CNG, LNG, or electricity will remain exempt from the restrictions.

The notification clarified that curbs under different stages of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for commercial vehicles will continue to apply whenever a specific stage is enforced.