📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team
Weather
New Delhi’s AQI spikes to hazardous 384 as PM2.5 hits 262 µg/m³
✍️ Jagran Josh
🗓 15 Nov 2026, 12:04 PM
👁 25
The capital recorded an AQI of 384 today, classifying the air quality as hazardous, with PM2.5 concentration soaring to 262 micrograms per cubic metre.
New Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) reached 384 on Thursday, pushing the city into the hazardous category as per the latest readings released by monitoring agencies. The spike was driven by an extremely high concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which measured 262 µg per cubic metre, far above the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
Health officials have warned that prolonged exposure to such levels can aggravate respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, especially among children, the elderly and those with pre‑existing ailments. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has advised residents to limit outdoor activities, keep windows closed, and use air purifiers where possible.
The surge follows a pattern of winter‑time pollution build‑up in the capital, exacerbated by stagnant weather, vehicular emissions, and crop‑burning in neighboring states. Authorities are expected to review existing mitigation measures, including traffic restrictions and temporary shutdowns of certain industrial units, to bring the AQI back within safe limits.
Health officials have warned that prolonged exposure to such levels can aggravate respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, especially among children, the elderly and those with pre‑existing ailments. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has advised residents to limit outdoor activities, keep windows closed, and use air purifiers where possible.
The surge follows a pattern of winter‑time pollution build‑up in the capital, exacerbated by stagnant weather, vehicular emissions, and crop‑burning in neighboring states. Authorities are expected to review existing mitigation measures, including traffic restrictions and temporary shutdowns of certain industrial units, to bring the AQI back within safe limits.