Delhi air quality nears severe levels ahead of Diwali as smog blankets city

The worsening conditions were reported across Delhi as the city approached Diwali. The Times of India put the overall Air Quality Index at 389, a figure not independently stated in the other supplied reports. The same report said several areas had moved into the severe category.

Readings in the severe range were reported in Rohini, IIT Delhi, RK Puram and Vivek Vihar. The locations were identified in reporting from the Times of India and Hindustan Times, which also described Rohini, RK Puram and Vivek Vihar among Delhi-NCR’s most polluted areas.

The scale of the deterioration was reported differently by two outlets. Hindustan Times said its analysis found 31 monitoring stations with severe air quality and 28 in the very poor category. The New Indian Express reported that 30 stations recorded severe AQI. Both accounts point to widespread severe readings, but the exact station count remains unresolved.

The deterioration was also being felt by residents. According to the Times of India, people reported breathing difficulties and eye irritation as pollution levels worsened. Those complaints were reported alongside the severe readings in several parts of the city.

The Times of India reported that Delhi’s Environment Minister attributed the worsening pollution to stubble burning in Punjab. The supplied evidence does not independently establish that explanation, leaving the cause reported as an official attribution rather than a confirmed finding. It also does not resolve whether 30 or 31 stations were in the severe category.