New Delhi, November 9: Delhi’s air quality remained in the “very poor” category on Diwali day, November 8, with a 24-hour average Air Quality Index of 376, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
The reading places the national capital’s festival-day air quality as the third highest since 2018. Only 2020 (414) and 2021 (382) recorded higher averages on Diwali itself. The previous day’s average on November 7 stood at 369.
Several monitoring stations reported levels in the severe category (above 400) during the morning hours. Punjabi Bagh registered around 449–450, RK Puram near 448–449, Jahangirpuri about 450, and stations at IIT Delhi and Rohini around 445. A dense haze reduced visibility across large parts of the city.
Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) had already been enforced across Delhi-NCR before the festival.
Comparison with other cities
Other major Indian metros recorded significantly lower pollution levels around the same period. Mumbai’s AQI ranged between 130 and 170 (moderate category), Kolkata between 160 and 200, and Chennai lower still. Delhi’s average was roughly two to three times higher than these cities.
International air quality trackers, which use a different measurement scale, frequently ranked Delhi and Lahore among the world’s most polluted major cities in the days surrounding Diwali. On November 7, one ranking placed Delhi at the top of major cities with a US AQI of 581, while Lahore recorded 285. Rankings shifted the following day, with Lahore occasionally leading on the US scale. Beijing’s readings during the same period remained substantially lower, in the unhealthy-for-sensitive-groups to unhealthy range on the international scale.
Winter conditions that trap pollutants near the ground, combined with residual agricultural smoke from neighbouring states and festival-related activity, contributed to the elevated levels typical of this season in northern India.
The CPCB continues to monitor the situation, with further updates expected in the coming days.