Primary Pollutant

(AQI)

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New Delhi Air Quality Index (AQI)

Real-time PM2.5, PM10 air pollution level Delhi

Last Update: 31 Mar 2023, 02:45am

New Delhi MODERATE aqi boy New Delhi MODERATE aqi boy New Delhi MODERATE aqi boy

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Comparative Exposure with New Delhi

24 hrs avg AQI

New Delhi

India

Major Air Pollutants in New Delhi

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Carbon-mono-oxide icon
668 (CO)
New Delhi nitrogen dioxide no2 icon
15 (NO2)

PM2.5 1.3X

The current PM2.5 concentration in New Delhi is 1.3 times above the recommended limit given by the WHO 24 hrs air quality guidelines value.

New Delhi - Locations Air Pollution Level

LOCATIONS Status AQI-US AQI-IN PM2.5 PM10 Temp Humid
ITI Shahdra MODERATE 97 61 34 61 19 88
Loni POOR 107 118 38 127 19 88
Pooth Khurd MODERATE 66 31 19 21 19 88
ITI Jahangirpuri MODERATE 68 47 20 47 19 88
Narela MODERATE 55 28 14 28 19 88
Mother Dairy Plant MODERATE 76 42 24 42 19 88
Sonia Vihar Water Treatment Plant Djb POOR 144 89 53 71 19 88
Alipur GOOD 50 23 12 23 19 88
Sri Auribindo Margta MODERATE 59 28 16 28 19 88
Shaheed Sukhdev College Of Business Studies MODERATE 78 42 25 31 19 88
Delhi Institute Of Tool Engineering MODERATE 91 52 31 50 19 88
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium MODERATE 82 45 27 27 19 88
Satyawati College MODERATE 93 53 32 41 19 88
Mandir Marg MODERATE 70 49 21 49 19 88
Mundka MODERATE 76 40 24 23 19 88
RK Puram MODERATE 76 41 24 7 19 88
PGDAV College MODERATE 95 55 33 39 20 83
Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium MODERATE 87 49 29 24 20 83
Lajpat Nagar MODERATE 84 47 28 31 20 83
Prashant Vihar GOOD 50 28 12 28 20 83
Saket Block C MODERATE 61 28 17 23 20 83
Embassy of Belgium MODERATE 59 33 16 33 20 83
LIC Colony GOOD 38 27 9 27 20 83
Sir Edmund Hillary Marg MODERATE 53 32 13 32 20 83
Shastri Nagar MODERATE 57 29 15 29 20 83
Uttam Nagar GOOD 38 24 9 24 20 83
Ashok Vihar Phase 1 MODERATE 59 28 16 28 20 83
Rohini Sector 7 GOOD 50 27 12 27 20 83
Hari Nagar GOOD 38 27 9 27 20 83
Vasundhara Enclave MODERATE 95 59 33 59 19 88
Golf Links MODERATE 80 43 26 28 20 83
Punjabi Bagh Block D GOOD 42 26 10 26 20 83
Anand Lok MODERATE 84 47 28 33 20 83
Ashok Vihar Phase 3 MODERATE 57 27 15 27 20 83
Green Park MODERATE 59 27 16 25 20 83
Defence Colony MODERATE 84 47 28 33 20 83
Karol Bagh MODERATE 57 38 15 38 20 83
Kalkaji MODERATE 82 45 27 38 19 88
HT House MODERATE 74 38 23 26 20 83
Okhla Phase II MODERATE 78 42 25 37 19 88
Katwaria Sarai MODERATE 59 27 16 25 20 83
Ramesh Park MODERATE 78 42 25 16 20 83
Chanakya Puri GOOD 46 25 11 25 20 83
Rohini Sector 30 GOOD 38 19 9 19 20 83
Anand Parbat MODERATE 53 31 13 31 20 83
Kohat Enclave MODERATE 55 28 14 28 20 83
Greater Kailash II MODERATE 78 42 25 35 19 88
Mori Gate MODERATE 66 32 19 20 20 83
Shalimar Bagh MODERATE 59 28 16 28 20 83
Panchsheel Vihar MODERATE 72 37 22 28 20 83
Mukherjee Nagar MODERATE 95 55 33 45 20 83
Rohini Sector 24 GOOD 38 22 9 22 20 83
Dwarka Sector 10 GOOD 38 21 9 21 19 88
Model Town MODERATE 72 37 22 33 20 83
Ghazipur MODERATE 95 55 33 44 20 83
Rohini Sector 15 GOOD 38 25 9 25 20 83
Ashok Vihar Phase 4 MODERATE 57 26 15 26 20 83
Janakpuri GOOD 38 25 9 25 20 83
Shahdara MODERATE 89 50 30 32 20 83
Wazirpur MODERATE 59 28 16 28 20 83
Malviya Nagar MODERATE 59 27 16 25 20 83
Rajinder Nagar MODERATE 57 41 15 41 20 83
GTB Nagar MODERATE 93 53 32 37 20 83
Raghubir Nagar GOOD 38 26 9 26 20 83
Civil Lines MODERATE 63 30 18 18 20 83
New Friends Colony MODERATE 82 45 27 36 20 83
Sheikh Sarai MODERATE 70 35 21 27 20 83
Naraina Industrial Area GOOD 38 28 9 28 20 83
Inderlok MODERATE 53 28 13 28 20 83
Jangpura MODERATE 78 42 25 30 20 83
Vasant Kunj MODERATE 57 25 15 24 19 88
Dwarka Sector 11 GOOD 38 19 9 19 20 83
Greater Kailash MODERATE 76 40 24 35 20 83
Ashok Vihar Phase 2 MODERATE 59 28 16 28 20 83
Hastsal GOOD 38 24 9 24 20 83
Delhi Cantt GOOD 46 25 11 25 20 83
Diplomatic Enclave GOOD 50 28 12 28 20 83
Bawana Industrial Area GOOD 38 15 9 15 20 83
Gulmohar Park Block B MODERATE 70 35 21 27 20 83
Hauz Khas MODERATE 61 28 17 25 20 83
I P Extension MODERATE 95 55 33 39 20 83
Niti Marg GOOD 50 28 12 28 20 83
Bali Nagar GOOD 38 26 9 26 20 83
Sukhdev Vihar MODERATE 78 42 25 35 20 83
Delhi Gymkhana Club GOOD 46 26 11 26 20 83
Paschim Vihar GOOD 38 25 9 25 20 83
Dwarka Sector 6 GOOD 38 17 9 17 20 83
Saket MODERATE 61 28 17 24 20 83
Dwarka Sector 23 GOOD 38 17 9 17 20 83
Safdarjung Enclave MODERATE 55 23 14 20 20 83
Darya Ganj MODERATE 72 37 22 13 20 83
Deepali GOOD 46 26 11 26 20 83
Dwarka Sector 12 GOOD 38 18 9 18 20 83
Dwarka Sector 7 GOOD 38 16 9 16 20 83
Bhalswa Landfill GOOD 46 27 11 27 20 83
Dwarka Sector 5 GOOD 38 17 9 17 20 83
Dwarka Sector 18B GOOD 38 18 9 18 20 83
Dwarka Sector 3 GOOD 38 19 9 19 20 83
Mayur Vihar MODERATE 84 47 28 40 20 83
Vasant Vihar GOOD 38 22 9 22 20 83
Sukhdev Vihar DDA Flats MODERATE 78 42 25 34 20 83
Kashmiri Gate ISBT MODERATE 59 27 16 24 20 83
New Sarup Nagar GOOD 46 28 11 28 20 83
Mustafabad POOR 122 73 44 49 20 83
Siddhartha Enclave MODERATE 82 45 27 33 20 83
Hazrat Nizamuddin MODERATE 76 40 24 29 20 83
Connaught Place MODERATE 76 40 24 16 20 83
East Patel Nagar MODERATE 53 33 13 33 20 83
Saraswati Marg GOOD 38 23 9 23 19 88
Loni Dehat POOR 134 84 49 84 19 88
Surya Nagar MODERATE 95 55 33 40 19 88
Rohini Sector 10 GOOD 33 23 8 23 19 88
Rohini Sector 5 GOOD 38 23 9 23 19 88
RK Puram North Block GOOD 38 17 9 17 19 88

Weather Conditions in New Delhi

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What are the weather and climatic conditions in New Delhi?
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Temperature icon
˚C | ˚F

Local Time

|


Sunrise
Sunset
06:26 AM
06:26 PM
Wind Speed Icon

Wind speed

33 km/h

UV Index Icon

UV Index

16

Pressure Icon

Pressure

800 mb


Health Advice For New Delhi

How to protect yourself from air pollution around New Delhi, India?
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Wear Mask

Required
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Stay Indoor

Not Required
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Windows

Keep Close
use a purifier icon

Use Purifier

Required
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Family

Allow Outdoor

New Delhi Air Quality Forecast



Day

AQI

Weather


Temp.


Today

134

AQI

1st day weather condition icon


Friday

134

AQI

2nd day weather condition icon


Saturday

134

AQI

3rd day weather condition icon


Sunday

134

AQI

4th day weather condition icon


Monday

134

AQI

5th day weather condition icon


Tuesday

134

AQI

6th day weather condition icon


Wednesday

134

AQI

7th day weather condition icon



New Delhi

AQI Calendar

0-50
Good
51-100
Moderate
101-200
Poor
201-300
Unhealthy
301-400
Severe
401-500
Hazardous

Most Polluted Cities in India

Least Polluted Cities in India


Comparative Exposure with New Delhi

24 hrs avg AQI

New Delhi

Delhi

India



FAQs of New Delhi Air Quality Index

(Frequently Asked Questions)


Quick answers to some commonly asked questions about the air pollution of New Delhi.


The real-time air quality in New Delhi is 35 (MODERATE) AQI now. This was last updated 14 seconds ago .

The current concentration of PM2.5 in New Delhi is 19 (µg/m³). The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends 15 µg/m³ as the threshold concentration of PM2.5 for 24 hrs mean. Currently, the concentration is 0.76 times the recommended limit.

Generally, the air quality at New Delhi starts deteriorating in late October. The winters are the worst-hit season in terms of air pollution.

You should wear a good N95 mask when you go outdoor in New Delhi until the AQI is improving upto moderate range.

Office going people should avoid personal vehicles and use public transportations or carpooling.

(i) The primary causes of outdoor air pollution are solid, liquid particles called aerosols & gase from vehicles emissions, construction activities, factories, burning stubble & fossil fuels and wildfire, etc.


(ii) Main causes of indoor air pollution are harmful gases from cooking fuels (such as wood, crop wastes, charcoal, coal and dung), damp, mould smoke, chemicals from cleaning materials, etc.

Indoor air pollution in New Delhi is as dangerous as outdoor pollution, because the air pollutants come inside the houses or buildings through doors, windows and ventilation.

In New Delhi , you must use an air purifier or fresh air machine at home or office indoor and close all the doors, windows and ventilations when the outdoor air quality index (aqi) in New Delhi is very high. Proper ventilation is highly recommended only when outdoor air quality is improving and moderate AQI range.




World's Most Polluted Cities & Countries AQI Ranking

Real-time top most polluted cities, and monthly & annual historic AQI ranking of cities & countries

prana air sensible+ indoor air quality monitor for New Delhi

New Delhi AIR POLLUTION

A report by the Environmental Performance Index in 2014 said that a total decline of 100 percent was seen in the air quality of India in the last 10 years and the city that has been hit the greatest is the capital city, New Delhi, India. Research by Berkeley Earth revealed that on an average, when the AQI is in a relatively better state than the usual, breathing that air still means that pollutants equal to the same amount as 31 cigarettes smoke entering your lungs.


With statistics like these, all of us need to be educated and concerned about the rising Delhi pollution level. Learn about the causes and effects of Delhi air pollution so that we can understand the problem and try to bring a change on a personal and public level.


What are the Main Sources & Causes of Delhi Pollution?

There are many causes and sources of Delhi air pollution like stubble burning, vehicle emissions, industrial pollution, construction, cold weather, geographic location, stagnant winds, population growth, Badarpur thermal power plant, fire in Bhalswa Landfills, etc.


1. Agricultural Stubble Burning

Agricultural stubble burning has been the major caterer to the rising air pollution and smog in Delhi. The problem is that as there is a very short time gap between the harvesting of paddy and wheat, the straw from the last harvest needs to be disposed off as soon as possible. The government has suggested the farmers do manual or mechanical management of straw but as the process is expensive and takes more time, farmers switch back to their traditional practice of stubble burning. Thousands of crores have been spent by the Central and the State government of India, a ban has been put on the practice but stubble burning has not come under control yet. The smoke from this agricultural burning gets transported to Delhi because of the westerly winds. According to a study by IIT Kanpur, agricultural burning is the third largest contributor towards particulate matters in Delhi.


2. Vehicular Emissions

It is the number one contributor to the PM2.5 and PM10 particles in Delhi which is 28%. And overall, out of the total air pollution, 41 percent is due to vehicular emissions. Vehicular emissions have a large number of carbon monoxide in them. Long exposure to it can cause death and more and more vehicular emission is causing CO to accumulate in our atmosphere.


3. Industrial Pollution

Delhi has the highest number of small-scale industries in India and they do not respect any limits on the emission of toxic fumes and pollutants. They are the second highest contributor to the poor air quality of Delhi with 3182 industries.


4. Dust By Construction Pollution

Construction and dust pollution has been one of the major factors that led to this massive air pollution in Delhi. According to DPCC, 30 percent of the Pollution in Delhi has been due to the construction and demolition. This pollution is not much under attention and the government right now is taking steps to change that.


5. Fire in Bhalswa Landfills

Bhalswa Landfill is a dumping ground that has been in use since 1984. It spread about 52 acres and has reached to heights of 62 metres. It has been creating havoc in Delhi for years now. The landfill has been used beyond its capacity way before but still no waste management has been done. The waste that keeps lying around starts decomposing and because the volume of waste is so high that the whole area becomes prone to a fire. Because of the nature of the waste, the smoke from the fire not only produces a large amount of particulate matter, it also releases toxic amounts of Carbon Monoxide, Hydrogen Sulphide among the few. In 2019 also, an incident where a fire started that set the landfill and Jahangirpuri ablaze.


6. Colder Weather

Cold weather in Delhi has also managed to be a significant part of Delhi pollution. As the temperature dips in Delhi, it lowers the aversion height of all the smog and other particulate matters in the air. Aversion height is the altitude from ground towards the sky, till which the particulate matter can rise. During summers, the aversion height is much above and far from the ground so all the pollutants rise up and are not much harmful to us . But when the winters come, the aversion height drops, which leads to all the smog being a part of the air we inhale.


7. Stagnant Winds

With a huge amount of pollutants being dispersed in the Delhi air daily, stagnant winds can cause a problem. When these huge amounts of pollutants don’t get a good speed of the wind, they start accumulating at a place which causes a hazy smog and doesn’t let the pollutants spread out.


8. Geographic Location

Delhi is landlocked between the states of Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh which and Himalayas and due to this, the winds that can carry the pollutants is near to non-existent. The winds that come from the coastal region carry pollutants with them which get trapped by the Himalayas i.e. in Delhi. For example, Chennai’s vehicle density is 19 times more than Delhi’s but still Chennai has a moderate amount of particulate matter in its air because as its a coastal region and all its pollutants get carried away.


9. Population Growth

Population growth is the grass-root cause of air pollution. More people means more vehicles, more amenities, more industrial products, more agricultural practices. Delhi saw a stark population increase from 2011 to 2019. The population went from 16.7 million in 2011 to 20 million in 2019.


10. Not Enough Public Transportation

Even though Delhi boasts of managing the world’s biggest fleet of buses under it, this system needs to be bigger and better. Because as the public transport will be better and cheaper, then only there will be less vehicular emissions. Even though Delhi is 14 times bigger than Paris, Paris’s metro line is double the length of Delhi's.


11. Lack of Active monitoring
Earlier also, active monitoring wasn’t done which led to a sudden realization after years that pollutant levels in the air have shooted. Active monitoring could have helped know the rising patterns of the air pollution so that it could be curbed at its initial days.


12. Badarpur Thermal Power Plant
Badarpur Thermal Power Plant has been one of the major contributors to air pollution in Delhi in the past. But in 2015, it was seen that even though its share in electricity supply in Delhi was approximately 8 percent,but its share in the total number of particulate matters in Delhi was 80-90%.It was shut down in 2015 as a measure to reduce the number of air pollutants in the air.


History of Delhi Pollution: How has it been through the years?


1980s: The Start: Delhi started seeing a rise in the pollution levels in the 80’s where the emergence of vehicles started taking a toll on the air and stubble burning started in the states of Punjab and Haryana. At that time, riots were also on a high after Indira Gandhi got assassinated and banning burning of crops seemed like an anti-religion rule so all the state governments avoided rolling it out and thus the pollution started rising.

1996: The situation of the city worsened to which the Supreme Court ordered the Delhi Government to submit a plan on how they plan on reducing the rising Delhi air pollution.

1998: Increase in Diesel run vehicles peaked the amount of PM2.5 particles in the air.

2000: There was an enormous increase in a lot of pollution causing activities like construction, industrial manufacturing and vehicular emissions. From the 2000 to 2010, the level of PM10 particles in air went from moderate to poor levels. Vehicles also increased in the capital city of India with an annual growth rate of 10.75%.

2004: The National Air Quality Index was introduced seeing the air pollution scenario. Under the NAQI, air was categorized into six levels. good, satisfactory, moderate, poor, very poor and severe/hazardous to differentiate how polluted the air was.

2016: In October 2016, Delhi underwent a major smog episode, one of its first in line of the other that came through. Air Quality Index. As the Diwali season set in, the PM2.5 level in Delhi city reached approximately 750 μg/m3 to the horror of everyone. The AQI levels reached close to 13 times more than the permissible amount. This awoke Delhi and its officials and the government bodies to the devastating effects of air pollution. The whole city got covered with smog.

2017 - The Great Smog of Delhi:

The incident known as the great smog has been the most devastating phase Delhi had to go through in terms of air pollution. The PM2.5 and PM 10 levels, whose healthy limits are 60-100 μg/m3 rose to 999 μg/m3 which was the highest level the sensors could calculate.

The same year in November 2017, on the second day of a test match between Sri-Lanka and India 2 players started vomiting due to the humongous amount of smog and pollutants in the air.

2019 November: A public health emergency was declared due to the smog and air pollution and holidays were announced till November 5.

What are the effects of Delhi Air Pollution?


1. Health Problems

In Delhi, poor air quality has damaged the lungs of half of the children in Delhi, according to WHO. As PM2.5 is such a small particle it can easily enter one’s lungs and erode one’s respiratory wellness.Increased risks of cancer, epilepsy and diabetes has also been seen among the children.


PM2.5 and PM10 particles are the main causes of reduced lung capacity. This in turn leads to sore throat, cough, asthma, allergies and lung cancer. Excessive CO2 in the air leads to headache, fatigue and loss of productivity. The number of non-smokers in Delhi who suffered from lung cancer shot up from 10 percent to 50 percent in a decade, all due to the increased pollutants in the air that people have to breathe.


2. Smog in the air

Smog is exactly what the name might suggest, it is the mixture of smoke and fog. Excessive pollution in air causes smog and Delhi has had its fair share of smog over the years. Delhi observed the great smog in November 2017 which engulfed the whole city in it.


3. Environment change

The environment is constantly degrading with the increasing air pollution. The main effect of Delhi pollution in the environment is the depletion of the ozone layer in the atmosphere due to which the UV rays from the Sun can directly enter the earth. The emission from industries is also a big cause for the global warming that is leading the glaciers to melt at a really fast pace.


4. Economy

Thousands of crores have been spent by the Central Government and the Punjab and Haryana Government to stop the stubble burning and help with better ways to dispose of the waste. Delhi Government has also been getting Green funds to fight the Air Pollution and curb it.


Measures taken Up By the Government to control Delhi Pollution

1988: As advised by Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA), the Court made a ruling that the buses in the city change from using Diesel to CNG.

2010: BS-IV based vehicles were said to be mandatory.

2014: Air Quality Index was launched by the Union Environment Ministry.

2016: Arvind Kejriwal’s Promises

  • ● Delhi Schools to be shut while AQI levels are at hazardous levels.
  • ● Construction and demolition work stopped for 5 days.
  • ● Diesel generators asked to be shut for 10 days
  • ● The Environment department was asked to make an applicationto monitor burning of the leaves in the city.
  • ● Vacuum cleaning of roads will be done
  • ● Water sprinkling will start at areas with high PM 10 levels
  • ● People will be advised to stay at home
  • ● Faster adoption and manufacturing of electric vehicles will be done
  • ● Vehicles that are older than 15 years will be fined
  • ● Smog towers will be installed at hot spots
  • ● By 2021, Delhi metro will be powered 100% by solar energy.

2017: The ‘Odd-Even’ rule was imposed. Parking fees were imposed and increased but due to no proper system, this scheme failed. Crackers were banned.

2018: 9 population hotspots were selected in the city and Anand Vihar was selected as the hot spot for pollution.

2020: A 10 member air pollution team was made. Their work was to examine the complaints from Green Delhi Mobile Application and then work towards solving them.

· · ·

How bad is the infamous Delhi Pollution

The residents of the capital city of India have to bear the brunt of the annual winter pollution. The air quality drops to such a level that the city is compared to a gas chamber! Delhi starts witnessing high levels of air pollution in late October and the contamination worsens until the end of the year. Many parts of the city experience pollution levels as high as 150 times the stipulated levels recommended by the World Health Organisation.


As a result of these events, the pollution levels are lesser in summers as compared to winters, provided the spatial and meteorological remain the same. You can observe a similar effect during winter afternoons. The increase in heat levels down pollution slightly.The early mornings and the nights are the worst. The impact of inversion is visibly evident, which is why the air quality plummets during these hours.


Why does Delhi air quality index deteriorate in winters?

Atmospheric inversion occurs in winters. The normal conditions reverse themselves, and air near the lower atmosphere is cooler and denser. The relatively warmer air of the upper layers, hence, acts as an atmospheric lid. This lid entraps the pollutants within the cold layer and evades their atmospheric dispersion. Therefore, the vertical mixing occurs in the lower layer itself.At constant emission rates and concentration of pollutants, the lesser the temperature, the more is the pollution.


As a result of these events, the pollution levels are lesser in summers as compared to winters, provided the spatial and meteorological remains the same. You can observe a similar effect during winter afternoons. The increase in heat levels down pollution slightly.The early mornings and the nights are the worst. The impact of inversion is visibly evident, which is why the air quality plummets during these hours.


However, one of the worst incidents happened during an international cricket test match between India and Sri Lanka in December 2017. The match was stopped because many Sri Lankan players became sick. Several players experienced breathing problems and vomited. The Indian Medical Association expressed their concern over the unfortunate incident and insisted ICC to adopt a policy on pollution.

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