Delhi's air turns "severe" as pollution spikes again

India Dec 30, 2025

Delhi's air quality just hit the "severe" mark, with Monday's AQI reaching 401, up from Sunday's 390.
Noida topped the charts with an AQI of 410.
The IMD has put out an orange alert for Tuesday, warning of dense fog rolling in.

Why should you care?

Pollution isn't letting up anytime soon: experts say Delhi will stay "very poor" through New Year's and could get even worse on January 1.
December has already seen its worst air in seven years, and it's not just about stubble burning—fog and weak winds are trapping all that pollution close to the ground.
Meanwhile, some NCR cities like Ghaziabad and Gurgaon have actually seen a bit of improvement, but Delhi is still struggling to breathe easy.