📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Sumita Roy Dutta
Weather
Delhi records worst October air quality since 2020, AQI turns toxic
✍️ India Today
🗓 05 Oct 2026, 09:02 PM
👁 15
Delhi’s air quality in October has deteriorated to the worst level since 2020, with the AQI entering the toxic range.
Delhi registered an Air Quality Index (AQI) this October that experts describe as the most hazardous since 2020, with readings consistently hovering in the toxic bracket. The city’s monitoring stations reported a sharp rise in particulate matter, pushing the overall AQI well above the safe threshold.
Meteorologists point to a combination of factors behind the surge. Stubble burning in the neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana has released large quantities of smoke, while unusually low wind speeds and a temperature inversion have trapped pollutants close to the ground. Heavy traffic and ongoing construction activities have added to the particulate load.
Health officials have issued advisories urging residents to limit outdoor exposure, especially vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly and those with respiratory conditions. The Delhi government has announced temporary measures, including the activation of additional air‑purifying units at schools and the enforcement of stricter vehicular emission checks, as it seeks to curb the worsening haze.
Meteorologists point to a combination of factors behind the surge. Stubble burning in the neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana has released large quantities of smoke, while unusually low wind speeds and a temperature inversion have trapped pollutants close to the ground. Heavy traffic and ongoing construction activities have added to the particulate load.
Health officials have issued advisories urging residents to limit outdoor exposure, especially vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly and those with respiratory conditions. The Delhi government has announced temporary measures, including the activation of additional air‑purifying units at schools and the enforcement of stricter vehicular emission checks, as it seeks to curb the worsening haze.