Explainer: Why Delhi's air is cleaner than usual in October

India Oct 10, 2025

Delhi just had its freshest start to October since 2015, with air quality index (AQI) averaging around 110 for the first nine days of the month.
This rare improvement lines up with a huge drop in farm fires—Punjab and Haryana reported only one fire so far this October, compared to hundreds or even thousands in recent years.

What does it mean?

Cleaner air means fewer health risks for everyone, especially when Delhi usually struggles with pollution at this time.
The big drop in farm fires, along with some timely rain and gentle winds, has kept pollution levels low.
But heads up: after October 15, farm fires usually spike because of paddy harvesting, so whether Delhi keeps breathing easy depends on how well these fires are managed in the coming weeks.