New Delhi Air Quality Index (AQI) & Air Pollution Today

Delhi, India — Real-time Air Quality Index (AQI) and PM2.5

Delhi AQI Right Now

163

Category: Moderate

Dominant Pollutant: pm25

PM2.5: 78.78 µg/m³

PM10: 153.74 µg/m³

Last updated: 2026-03-24 — Data source: Google Air Quality API (NAQI). Live NAQI values load when you visit the page.

Delhi Pollutant Levels

PollutantConcentration
PM2.578.78 µg/m³
PM10153.74 µg/m³
O₃ (Ozone)14.95 µg/m³
NO₂23.89 µg/m³
SO₂17.67 µg/m³
CO1468.48 µg/m³

Health Advisory — Delhi

Moderate: Breathing discomfort to people with lungs, asthma and heart diseases.

Recommendation: Sensitive groups (children, elderly, people with respiratory conditions) should limit outdoor exposure.

Health Impact — Delhi

Cigarette Equivalent: Breathing this air is equivalent to smoking 3.6 cigarettes per day (based on current PM2.5 levels).

Life Expectancy Impact: Sustained exposure at this PM2.5 level could reduce life expectancy by 0.45 years (AQLI estimate, relative to WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³).

Health Recommendations for Delhi

  • General Population: People with respiratory or heart conditions should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.
  • Elderly: Reduce prolonged outdoor activities.
  • Children: Reduce prolonged outdoor play.
  • Lung Disease Patients: Avoid prolonged outdoor exertion.

Understanding Delhi Air Quality

Delhi's air quality follows a sharp seasonal cycle driven by geography, agriculture, and weather. The worst period runs from late October through January, when northwesterly winds carry agricultural stubble-burning smoke from Haryana and Punjab into the National Capital Region. Simultaneously, falling temperatures create temperature inversions - warm air aloft traps cold, polluted air near the surface - causing PM2.5 concentrations to regularly exceed 300 µg/m³, some 60 times the WHO annual guideline of 5 µg/m³.

Summer months (April–June) bring relief through stronger winds and higher mixing heights, though ground-level ozone becomes a concern as intense sunlight reacts with vehicular NOx emissions. The monsoon season (July–September) is typically Delhi's cleanest period, with rain washing particulates out of the air and PM2.5 dropping to 30–60 µg/m³.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) enforces the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), a four-stage emergency protocol triggered by AQI thresholds. Stage IV ("Severe+") bans non-essential construction, halts truck entry, and can mandate school closures. Despite these measures, Delhi routinely ranks among the world's ten most polluted capitals by annual PM2.5 concentration.

Primary Pollution Sources

  • Vehicle exhaust
  • Construction dust
  • Stubble burning (seasonal)
  • Industrial emissions
  • Road dust resuspension
  • Waste burning

Geography: Landlocked in the Indo-Gangetic Plain; cold winter inversions trap pollutants at ground level, compounded by low wind speeds from November through January

Peak pollution months: October, November, December, January

Frequently Asked Questions — Delhi

What is the most polluted month in Delhi?

November is typically Delhi's most polluted month. Post-Diwali firecracker residue, peak stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, and the onset of winter temperature inversions combine to push daily average NAQI above 400 (Severe) for days at a stretch. December and January remain heavily polluted, with PM2.5 frequently exceeding 250 µg/m³.

What causes air pollution in Delhi?

Delhi's pollution comes from multiple sources: vehicular exhaust contributes roughly 20–40% year-round (over 12 million registered vehicles), construction and road dust add another 15–20%, seasonal stubble burning from neighbouring states contributes 25–40% during October–November, industrial emissions from surrounding NCR towns, and open waste burning. Geographic factors - Delhi's landlocked position in the flat Indo-Gangetic Plain with the Himalayas blocking northward air dispersal - make it especially vulnerable to pollutant accumulation.

When is the best time to visit Delhi for clean air?

August and September offer Delhi's cleanest air, with daily AQI typically in the Good to Satisfactory range (NAQI 0–100) thanks to monsoon rainfall. March and early April are also relatively clear before summer dust storms begin.

Air Quality in Nearby Cities