Delhi suffocates in severe pollution; smog delays over 100 flights, 3 cancelled

Visibility at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport dropped to 800 meters at 7:30 am, leading to 107 flights being delayed and 3 cancelled, according to Flightradar.

In Short

• Delhi's AQI was recorded at 428 on Sunday morning
• Bawana recorded highest AQI at 471
• 22 stations in Delhi reported 'severe' air quality

Delhi's air quality remained in the "severe" category for the fifth day in a row on Sunday, with an air quality index (AQI) of 428 at 7 am. Visibility at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport dropped to 800 meters at 7:30 am, leading to 107 flights being delayed and 3 cancelled, according to Flightradar.

The AQI has been in the "severe" and "severe Plus" categories since Wednesday, barring a few-hour gap on Friday afternoon.

According to the weather department, several monitoring stations in the national capital regions recorded an AQI of over 400. Bawana recorded the highest reading at 471, followed by Ashok Vihar and Jahangirpuri, both at 466. Mundka and Wazirpur also reported AQI levels of 463, indicating widespread pollution across the city. Stations in Anand Vihar, Shadipur, and Vivek Vihar recorded AQI readings of 457, while Rohini and Punjabi Bagh reported 449 and 447, respectively.

The worsening pollution levels are sparking widespread serious health issues such as eye irritation, respiratory issues, and others.

Seven areas in Delhi, like Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Bawana, Mundka, Shadipur, Vivek Vihar, and Wazirpur, fell into the “severe plus” air quality category on Sunday morning, according to official data.

Out of the city’s 35 air quality monitoring stations, 22 recorded air quality in the “severe” category, while six recorded “very poor” air quality.

While air quality in Delhi indicates severe pollution levels, Noida and Gurugram recorded AQI levels of 308 and 307, respectively. Ghaziabad reached an AQI of 372, pointing to slight improvement from the prevailing conditions. Faridabad registered the lowest among the listed cities, with an AQI of 260.