Delhi air quality ‘very poor’

The overall air quality of Delhi improved slightly to the ‘very poor’ category on Tuesday (December 16, 2025) morning after staying in the ‘severe’ and ‘severe plus’ category for three consecutive days, as per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.

The air quality is likely to stay in the ‘very poor’ category for the next three days.

Watch:Delhi air turns ‘severe’ as AQI touches 498, classes, court hearings goes online

But many individual stations such as ITO, Punjabi Bagh, and Anand Vihar continued to record ‘severe’ level air pollution.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 ‘severe’.

The Delhi government on Monday (December 15, 2025) directed schools to shift classes up to Grade 5 to the online mode.

Every winter, air pollution spikes in Delhi-NCR and many parts of the larger Indo-Gangetic Plains, mainly due to meteorological factors such as lower wind speeds and a drop in temperature. Pollution from stubble burning during October and November and bursting of firecrackers during the festive season worsen air quality and add to the emissions from vehicles and dust.