ദീപാവലിക്ക് മുൻപേ ഡൽഹിയിൽ വായുമലിനീകരണം രൂക്ഷം: എയർ ക്വാളിറ്റി ഇൻഡക്സ് 78 ശതമാനം വർധിച്ചു

A week ahead of Diwali, Delhi's air quality has deteriorated sharply, with the average Air Quality Index (AQI) climbing 78 per cent from 165 to 293, bringing the Capital close to the pollution levels recorded during the corresponding pre-festival period last year, analysis reveals.

The rise follows a pattern seen in several recent years, when air quality worsened considerably in the run-up to the festival. The increase was 74 per cent in 2021 and 81 per cent in 2022, while 2025 saw a jump of nearly 90 per cent. In 2023 and 2024, however, the AQI declined during the corresponding period.

What makes this year's deterioration significant is that Delhi started from a higher pollution baseline. Its latest average AQI of 292.3 was around 50 points higher than the 242 recorded during the comparable period in 2025, despite the slower rate of increase.

The deterioration was not confined to the Capital. Five of the six National Capital Region (NCR) cities in the comparison recorded an increase, with Ghaziabad witnessing the steepest rise of 94 per cent, taking its average AQI to 258. This was close to the 98 per cent increase recorded last year.

Noida's AQI rose 87 per cent to 289, leaving it just three points below Delhi. Greater Noida recorded an 86 per cent increase, against 46 per cent last year. It was the city's sharpest pre-Diwali rise in seven years.

Gurugram, meanwhile, recorded a relatively slower increase of 41 per cent to 214.5, compared with an 89 per cent rise in 2025.