Delhi's air quality improves as rain reduces stubble-burning incidents

India Nov 06, 2025

A timely spell of rain in Punjab and Haryana has led to far fewer stubble-burning incidents, which means Delhi's air got a much-needed (but temporary) improvement.
The city's AQI dropped from 366 ("Very Poor") on Sunday to 202 ("Poor") by Wednesday as rain and winds helped clear out the usual smoke.

Clean-air window might not last long

Fewer farm fires are good news, but Delhi's main pollution culprits are still the transport sector and emissions from nearby industrial regions—stubble burning made up just over 2% of PM2.5 pollution recently.
With dry weather expected back soon, experts warn that air quality could dip again, so this clean-air window might not last long.