Delhi Air Quality Drops to Severe Category With AQI Crossing 400

UPDATE - follow-up to Delhi reel under 'severe' level air pollution: Delhi woke up to a severe air quality index of 403 at 9 a.m. on Friday, November 13, 2026, marking a sharp decline from previous days.

Regional Impact

The air quality crisis stretched beyond the national capital. Ballabgarh in Haryana also recorded severe air pollution levels on Friday morning. Meanwhile, nearby cities like Noida, Gurugram, and Faridabad experienced very poor air quality conditions.

Forecast and Trends

Government forecasting models predict that Delhi will stay in the severe category until Friday night. This follows a reading of 350 on Thursday afternoon, which itself was an increase from 313 recorded a day earlier.

Context

Severe air pollution poses health risks to healthy individuals and severely threatens people who already have medical conditions. Delhi and the wider Indo-Gangetic Plains face this surge every winter due to slow winds, lower temperatures, crop residue burning, and local dust and traffic.