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Weather
Delhi records highest October start pollution in four years, AQI hits 166
✍️ India Today
🗓 02 Oct 2026, 04:01 AM
👁 15
Delhi's air quality index rose to 166 at the beginning of October, the worst start in four years, prompting health warnings.
Delhi's air quality index (AQI) climbed to 166 as the city entered October, marking the most polluted start to the month in the past four years, according to India Today.
An AQI of 166 places the capital in the "very unhealthy" bracket, well above the national safe limit for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The reading follows a series of elevated levels recorded during the post-monsoon transition.
The Delhi government and the National Centre for Disease Control have issued advisories urging residents, especially children, the elderly and those with respiratory conditions, to limit outdoor exposure and keep windows closed.
Experts attribute the surge to a mix of factors: ongoing stubble burning in neighboring states, stagnant wind patterns and cooler temperatures that trap pollutants close to the ground.
Air‑quality monitoring stations will continue to report hourly data, and officials say further measures will be considered if the trend persists.
An AQI of 166 places the capital in the "very unhealthy" bracket, well above the national safe limit for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The reading follows a series of elevated levels recorded during the post-monsoon transition.
The Delhi government and the National Centre for Disease Control have issued advisories urging residents, especially children, the elderly and those with respiratory conditions, to limit outdoor exposure and keep windows closed.
Experts attribute the surge to a mix of factors: ongoing stubble burning in neighboring states, stagnant wind patterns and cooler temperatures that trap pollutants close to the ground.
Air‑quality monitoring stations will continue to report hourly data, and officials say further measures will be considered if the trend persists.