SC had said GRAP IV restrictions will not be relaxed until there is a consistent drop in AQI levels. Delhi police deploys additional personnel for effective implementation of restrictions

Experts warn this temporary relief may not last, with pollution levels likely to rise over the weekend as wind speeds decrease.

Delhi's air quality plummeted to 'very poor' Thursday morning, with Anand Vihar, Bawana, and other areas recording alarming AQI levels exceeding 300.

Whatever the causes of the smog, by one ranking Delhi was not just the most polluted city in the world, but “nearly five times as bad as the second most polluted city, Dhaka,” in Bangladesh next door, as Shashi Tharoor, a leader of the opposition in Parliament and best-selling author, posted on X.

The Northern Plains, home to 540.7 million people across seven states, is the most polluted region in India yet

Hundreds of millions of Indians breathe some of the world’s most toxic air all year round. Air pollution in the capital area that’s home to about 30 million people is especially stubborn. In winter, the cold weather actually makes the smog even worse — and potent.

Unhealthy

Every year, Delhi and northern states battle hazardous air during the winter months of October to January due to plummeting temperatures, smoke, dust, low wind speed, vehicular emissions and crop stubble burning. This time, experts say that the condition is likely to get worse in the coming days.

Strong surface winds (at speeds of 15km/hr) that had helped disperse pollutants on Sunday, dropped to near-calm levels of 4-6km/hr by Monday morning, leading to a haze engulfing the city again. Delhi’s 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 285 (“poor”) at 9am on Monday,