On Wednesday morning, Delhi's air was dirty but not at its worst. The city's overall AQI was 308 at 8.40 a.m., just past the 300 mark where 'poor' ends and 'very poor' begins. Better news may be close: wind speeds are expected to rise over the next few days, and that is likely to push pollution levels down further.

The station data shows how uneven the problem is. Of the 59 monitoring stations that reported data, 29 recorded 'very poor' air and the rest were in the 'poor' category. None crossed into 'severe'. After the last few days, that counts as some relief.

Pollution varies sharply across the city

Chhawla, in the city's southwest, was the most polluted station at 398, close to the 'severe' cut-off. Chandni Chowk (383), ITO (369) and Pusa (361) were also high. Other stations in the 'very poor' range included NIH Narela (356), NSIT Dwarka (352), NSUT Jaffarpur (351), Punjabi Bagh (343), Talkatora Garden (333), Jahangirpuri (324), Wazirpur (323), Sirifort (321), Burari (319) and Badarpur (312).

Some areas were noticeably cleaner. Karala recorded 220, while Ghoga (263), Narela (267), Nangloi (274), Tikri Kalan (276), Maidan Garhi (277), Ghummanhera (279) and Dwarka Sector 8 (294) all stayed in the 'poor' range. Bawana was at 306. In practice, the air a person breathes can change a lot from one neighbourhood to the next. Under the CPCB scale, 0–50 is 'good', 51–100 'satisfactory', 101–200 'moderate', 201–300 'poor', 301–400 'very poor' and 401–500 'severe'.

Which AQI figure should people believe?

Many Delhi residents check more than one app and see different numbers. On Tuesday, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) addressed this directly. In a statement on X, it said the gap between figures on private apps and its official platform comes from differences in how pollutant concentrations are measured and how the index is calculated. It said the gap is not evidence of under-reporting.

The statement answered media reports that questioned AQI reporting during and after Diwali. Those reports raised three issues: readings being capped at 500, missing data from some Delhi stations, and mismatches between platforms. The question matters because people use these numbers to decide whether to go for a morning walk, send children to play outside or switch on an air purifier. If people stop trusting the figures, they may also stop taking the warnings seriously.

The concerns follow a bad stretch nationally. After Diwali celebrations on November 8, AQI.in data published on November 9 showed 93 Indian cities among the world's 100 most polluted locations.

Foggy mornings and mild days ahead

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast fog or mist during early mornings in Delhi from November 11 to 16. Maximum temperatures are expected to stay between 28 and 29°C, and minimums between 14 and 16°C. On November 11 and 12, the maximum is likely to be 28°C, with minimums of 15–16°C. From November 13 to 15, the maximum may rise to 29°C, while minimums stay around 15–16°C.

For now, Delhi is depending on the weather for relief. Stronger winds can spread out the pollutants that build up over the city, but they do not reduce what is being emitted. Until the sources of pollution are tackled, the city's air quality will keep rising and falling with the wind.

With inputs from IANS

On Wednesday morning, Delhi's air was dirty but not at its worst. The city's overall AQI was 308 at 8.40 a.m., just past the 300 mark where 'poor' ends and 'very poor' begins. Better news may be close: wind speeds are expected to rise over the next few days, and that is likely to push pollution levels down further.

The station data shows how uneven the problem is. Of the 59 monitoring stations that reported data, 29 recorded 'very poor' air and the rest were in the 'poor' category. None crossed into 'severe'. After the last few days, that counts as some relief.

Pollution varies sharply across the city

Chhawla, in the city's southwest, was the most polluted station at 398, close to the 'severe' cut-off. Chandni Chowk (383), ITO (369) and Pusa (361) were also high. Other stations in the 'very poor' range included NIH Narela (356), NSIT Dwarka (352), NSUT Jaffarpur (351), Punjabi Bagh (343), Talkatora Garden (333), Jahangirpuri (324), Wazirpur (323), Sirifort (321), Burari (319) and Badarpur (312).

Some areas were noticeably cleaner. Karala recorded 220, while Ghoga (263), Narela (267), Nangloi (274), Tikri Kalan (276), Maidan Garhi (277), Ghummanhera (279) and Dwarka Sector 8 (294) all stayed in the 'poor' range. Bawana was at 306. In practice, the air a person breathes can change a lot from one neighbourhood to the next. Under the CPCB scale, 0–50 is 'good', 51–100 'satisfactory', 101–200 'moderate', 201–300 'poor', 301–400 'very poor' and 401–500 'severe'.

Which AQI figure should people believe?

Many Delhi residents check more than one app and see different numbers. On Tuesday, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) addressed this directly. In a statement on X, it said the gap between figures on private apps and its official platform comes from differences in how pollutant concentrations are measured and how the index is calculated. It said the gap is not evidence of under-reporting.

The statement answered media reports that questioned AQI reporting during and after Diwali. Those reports raised three issues: readings being capped at 500, missing data from some Delhi stations, and mismatches between platforms. The question matters because people use these numbers to decide whether to go for a morning walk, send children to play outside or switch on an air purifier. If people stop trusting the figures, they may also stop taking the warnings seriously.

The concerns follow a bad stretch nationally. After Diwali celebrations on November 8, AQI.in data published on November 9 showed 93 Indian cities among the world's 100 most polluted locations.

Foggy mornings and mild days ahead

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast fog or mist during early mornings in Delhi from November 11 to 16. Maximum temperatures are expected to stay between 28 and 29°C, and minimums between 14 and 16°C. On November 11 and 12, the maximum is likely to be 28°C, with minimums of 15–16°C. From November 13 to 15, the maximum may rise to 29°C, while minimums stay around 15–16°C.

For now, Delhi is depending on the weather for relief. Stronger winds can spread out the pollutants that build up over the city, but they do not reduce what is being emitted. Until the sources of pollution are tackled, the city's air quality will keep rising and falling with the wind.

With inputs from IANS