NEW DELHI: Delhi continued to struggle with severe air pollution on Monday morning, with the AQI at 418 at 8 am, keeping the city in the ‘severe’ category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Dhaula Kuan and Pandav Nagar stood at 455, while ITO recorded 434.A few flights at Indira Gandhi International Airport were delayed due to low visibility. Authorities have implemented GRAP-4 restrictions and advised residents—especially children, the elderly, and those with respiratory issues—to limit outdoor activities.

A day earlier, on Sunday, Delhi’s air quality deteraiorated sharply over the weekend, with several monitoring stations recording readings at the extreme end of the ‘severe’ category for prolonged periods. On the AQI scale of zero to 500, Anand Vihar touched 497, while Mundka and Rohini recorded 491 each, placing all three locations in the ‘severe-plus’ range.Of the 37 operational continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations across the city, the standard 4 pm reading showed ‘severe’ air quality at 32 stations, while five reported ‘very poor’ levels. Ayanagar recorded the lowest AQI in the city at 356.Pollution levels began worsening from Saturday, with several locations registering AQI readings above 480 for long stretches on Sunday. Many of these were established pollution hotspots, including Nehru Nagar in Lajpat Nagar, Sonia Vihar, Wazirpur, Ashok Vihar, Bawana, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and Delhi University’s North Campus.The AQI is calculated based on the concentration of eight pollutants — PM10, PM2.5, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, ammonia and lead — using their average values. The pollutant with the highest sub-index determines the overall AQI for a particular location.Data showed particulate matter levels far exceeding permissible limits at several stations. At Anand Vihar, PM2.5 concentration reached 890 micrograms per cubic metre at 1 am, nearly 15 times higher than the national daily standard and 59 times above the World Health Organisation’s recommended safe limit. Nehru Nagar recorded a peak PM2.5 level of 952 micrograms per cubic metre on Saturday night, according to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee.Experts have attributed the sharp spike in pollution to a combination of local emissions and unfavourable meteorological conditions. Low wind speeds reduced dispersion, causing pollutants to stagnate over the city. Such conditions, experts warn, increase health risks, particularly for children, the elderly and those with respiratory illnesses.