After a brief respite, the air quality in Delhi has once again plunged into the "severe" category on Friday, with the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 401 at 6 PM today. According to IQAir,

Delhi`s air quality slipped back to the `severe` category on Saturday morning with an AQI of 420 while the minimum temperature was recorded at 11.4 degrees Celsius. Out of 38 monitoring stations, nine recorded air quality in the `severe plus` category with AQI exceeding 450.

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.

Unhealthy

The toxic smog shrouding New Delhi this week was so bad that the capital’s chief minister declared a “medical emergency.”

The AQI in Anand Vihar was recorded as 457; the AQI in Ashok Vihar was 455; Chandni Chowk's AQI was 439 and RK Puram recorded an AQI of 421.

With the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) reading 422 at 6 AM on Saturday, Delhi was once again engulfed in a dense layer of poisonous haze as the air quality fell into the "Severe" category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB),

A thick layer of smog engulfed the national capital on Friday while the air quality index in Delhi remained in the 'very poor' category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Drone visuals from the Mayur Vihar and Kalindi Kunj areas revealed the thick density of smog.

The Central Pollution Control Board data shows of the 38 monitoring stations in Delhi, nine reported AQI readings in the “severe” range.

People in Delhi woke up to a hazy morning with a minimum temperature of 11.3 degrees Celsius as the air quality remained in the "very poor" category recording an overall AQI of 373. Out of 38 monitoring stations in the city,