Archive · 25 Dec 2025
Delhi's Air Quality Improves Temporarily
Delhi's air quality got better for a day because of strong winds that blew away the pollution.
The city's air quality index (AQI) went from 'Severe' to 'Poor'.
This improvement led to the lifting of some strict anti-pollution rules, but the less strict rules are still in place.
However, the air quality is expected to get worse again in the next few days because the winds will get weaker and the temperatures will drop.
The main sources of pollution are cars and trucks, and some nearby areas like Jhajjar in Haryana are also contributing to the pollution.
Experts say that the air quality is likely to stay 'Very Poor' until December 27.
Delhi's AQI improved to 271 (Poor) on December 20 due to stronger winds, prompting the revocation of Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
GRAP Stage III remains in effect over Delhi-NCR, according to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).
The improvement was driven by stronger surface winds and better atmospheric dispersion conditions, with a ventilation index of about 9,000 m²/s.
However, wind speeds are forecast to weaken, and the ventilation index is expected to drop sharply, leading to a worsening of air quality from December 25-27.
The transport sector is the single largest contributor to PM2.5 levels within Delhi, accounting for 17.25% of the pollution load, with significant contributions from neighboring regions like Jhajjar in Haryana.
- Who
- Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), India Meteorological Department (IMD)
- What
- Delhi's air quality improved temporarily due to stronger winds but is expected to worsen again
- When
- December 20, 2023 (improvement), forecast to worsen from December 25-27, 2023
- Where
- Delhi-NCR, India
- Why
- Stronger winds and better atmospheric dispersion conditions improved air quality temporarily, but weakening winds and lower temperatures are expected to worsen it again
- Delhi AQI
- 271 (Poor)
- Noida AQI
- 273 (Poor)
- Gurgaon AQI
- 236 (Poor)
- GRAP Stage
- Stage III
- Forecast AQI
- Very Poor (up to Dec 27)
- Ventilation Index (Dec 26)
- 1,500 m²/s
- Primary Pollution Source
- Transport Sector (17.25%)
- Secondary Pollution Source
- Jhajjar, Haryana (15.56%)
