The air quality had turned 'severe' on Saturday evening with stubble burning accounting for 32 per cent of Delhi's PM2.5 pollution, but firecracker emissions and calm winds made the situation even worse.
India Open badminton: "Bird droppings" interrupt Prannoy-Loh match, add to organisers' woes
The pollution board said that the situation will improve further by Sunday if favourable conditions prevail.
The air quality in Delhi remained poor Sunday with drop in wind speed even as authorities predicted further fall in air quality index of the national capital in the coming days.
India is already a heavyweight in global farm trade in pockets such as rice exports, but experts are urging a pivot from a subsidy- and procurement-driven mindset to a productivity and nutrition strategy that still shields farmers from volatility.
Delhi recorded its coldest January morning in three years with the minimum temperature dropping to 3 degrees Celsius. Cold wave conditions are expected to persist, and air quality has deteriorated to the 'very poor' category.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the 24-hour average concentration of lung-damaging fine particles known as PM2.5 in Delhi-NCR shot up from 243 micrograms per cubic metre at 6 pm on Thursday (Diwali day) to 410 micrograms per cubic metre at 9 am on Friday, around seven times the safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre.
The Supreme Court of India has directed the NHAI and MCD to consider relocating or temporarily closing toll plazas at Delhi's borders to alleviate traffic congestion and reduce air pollution. The court also addressed school closures and financial aid for construction workers affected by pollution control measures.
The United States embassy's pollution monitor recorded 'hazardous' air quality with the index scoring an alarming 878, which the mission considers 'beyond its air quality index' (AQI), which ends at 500.
The central government's Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi said a significant increase in the number of "fire points" was observed over Punjab (around 3,000), Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, which is likely to impact the air quality of Delhi-NCR and other parts of northwest India.
Experts warn that a new government definition of the Aravali Hills, accepted by the Supreme Court, could lead to environmental degradation and expose Delhi and surrounding regions to harsher weather and drought conditions.
It is believed that the crop residue burning in the nearby states of Punjab and Haryana are contributing to polluting the air.
Lung cancer is the most prevalent cancer among Indian men, accounting for 11 per cent of all cancer cases.
The ONGC expert teams are arriving from Mumbai and Delhi to douse the gas well blaze in Mori in Dr B R Ambedkar Konaseema district of Andhra Pradesh, an official said on Tuesday.
Gurugram, already established as the corporate hub of Delhi-NCR, is increasingly attracting developers from outside the region, drawn by robust end-user demand, premium pricing, and emerging development opportunities.
'In any aviation emergency, the first rule is aviate -- fly the aircraft.' 'The fact that the commander's voice is not on the recording simply means he was focused entirely on flying. It does not imply anything more than that.'
Experts warn that air pollution in India is a major public health crisis, leading to a surge in undiagnosed airway diseases and cardiovascular issues. They urge for urgent action, early detection, and treatment.
India will host the World Championships for the first time since 2009, with the event seen as a key test of the country's ability to deliver large-scale international tournaments as it eyes the 2036 Olympics.
Pollution levels in Delhi and satellite towns shot up again on Sunday morning, with the air quality bordering the 'severe plus' category at several places.
The Best Airline Cabin Crew awards celebrate outstanding overall excellence among inflight teams, recognising both technical proficiency, like efficiency, precision and service execution, as well as the human touch, including enthusiasm, attitude, warmth and genuine hospitality, according to SkyTrax.
The dip in the air quality can be attributed to low wind speed and temperatures which allowed accumulation of pollutants.
'The real story of 2025 is that India officially stopped being a 'market of the future' and started acting as the world's primary economic engine.'
What baffled Uthappa, who was on commentary duty, was not the decision to call off the game, but the delay in arriving at it.
The TVS Orbiter works best as a city scooter with good range and comfort, but it quickly runs out of steam on steep climbs.
Former India coach Rahul Dravid found Rohit Sharma's openness to change a major positive while he was leading the team.
A CPCB official said a number of factors were responsible for the deteriorating air quality, including vehicular pollution, construction activities and meteorological factors.
A city resident doesn't find Delhi to be livable anymore.
Other Graded Response Action Plan measures like ban on diesel generators, hot mix plants, stone crushers and brick kilns, however, continue to remain in place.
India's stand-in captain Rohit Sharma on Thursday said he doesn't expect any pollution-related problem during the first T20 International against Bangladesh at the Arun Jaitley stadium on November 3.
In view of an 'improvement' in the air quality, the Delhi government has decided to resume physical classes in schools, colleges and other educational institutions and reopen government offices from November 29, environment minister Gopal Rai said on Wednesday.
The gas well blaze near the Irusumanda village in Dr B R Ambedkar Konaseema district in Andhra Pradesh will be doused in a week's time, an official said on Tuesday, citing information from ONGC officials.
Sustaining 8 per cent-plus growth rates is necessary if we are to reach high-income status by 2047, points out Amitabh Kant.
The overall AQI deteriorated further and touched the 268 mark, which falls in the poor category.
Areas in the National Capital Region -- Noida and Gurugram -- recorded an AQI of 529 and 478 respectively both in the highly toxic 'severe'.
13 out of the world's 20 most polluted cities are in India. Most shockingly, the latest Central Pollution Control Board statistics reveal that the pollution levels in Gwalior, Raipur and even little known Kashipur are higher than that of Delhi which means we have some of the most polluted zones in the world.
Sunny Deol. Akshaye Khanna. Anil Kapoor. Madhuri Dixit. Saif Ali Khan. Manoj Bajaypee. Netflix's 2026 slate packs a starry punch.
The Supreme Court is considering relaxing the ban on firecrackers in Delhi-NCR ahead of Diwali, citing practical concerns and the need to balance environmental and livelihood interests.
The national capital woke up on Tuesday morning to 'severe' air quality under a blanket of thick haze, as pollution levels breached the permissible standards by multiple times.
The fourth T20I between India and South Africa was called off on Wednesday owing to poor visibility after a dense layer of smog engulfed the Ekana Stadium raising serious questions about BCCI's scheduling of matches in northern part of India during peak winter month.
"The overall Delhi's Air Quality Index is in the very poor category with few Delhi locations entering at higher zone but that will be short lived. This is mainly because the extremely calm local surface winds which were prevailing yesterday are likely to increase slightly and may further pick-up by Oct 26," SAFAR said.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances