The air quality in the national capital again settled in the `very poor` category on Monday, with an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of 301.
After 24 days of `very poor` air, often bordering the `severe` zone, the air quality in Delhi on Sunday had improved to the `poor` category with a reading of 279.
However, data from the Central Pollution Control Board`s (CPCB) Sameer app showed that 24 of the 38 monitoring stations in the city registered air quality in the `very poor` category, while the remaining 14 recorded `poor` levels.
According to CPCB, Nehru Nagar recorded the highest AQI in the city at 354 as of 7 am, placing it in the “very poor” category.
Other highly affected areas included Rohini (341), Bawana (339), RK Puram (336), Mundka (330), and Punjabi Bagh (328), all of which continued to experience hazardous air quality.
On the lower end of the spectrum, NSIT Dwarka registered the least AQI at 195, falling under the “moderate” category. This was followed by Mandir Marg at 207 and IGI Airport T3 at 248, which, while still unhealthy, reflected comparatively better air quality than most other monitoring stations across the city.
Several other key stations, including Anand Vihar (325), Jahangirpuri (321), Vivek Vihar (321), Shadipur (324) and Pusa (322), continued to remain in the “very poor” category, highlighting the widespread nature of pollution across Delhi.
The winter chill, meanwhile, intensified with the minimum temperature dropping to 5.7 degrees Celsius, which is 4.6 degrees below the season`s average, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The relative humidity was recorded at 100 per cent at 8.30 am.
The IMD said the maximum temperature is expected to settle around 24 degrees Celsius.
As per CPCB standards, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered `good`, 51-100 `satisfactory`, 101-200 `moderate`, 201-300 `poor`, 301-400 `very poor`, and 401-500 `severe`.
Meanwhile, the air quality scenario in Delhi-NCR has shown a consistent improvement this year, with the region recording its lowest average AQI for the January-November period in the last eight years, excluding 2020 – the COVID-19 lockdown year, according to data shared on Sunday.
As per official figures, Delhi`s average AQI between January and November 2025 stood at 187, an improvement over 201 in 2024, 190 in 2023, 199 in 2022, 197 in 2021, 203 in 2019, and 213 in 2018.
According to CPCB, the AQI, which ranges from 0 to 500, is divided into six categories, each reflecting the level of pollution and associated health risks.