Delhi’s air quality plunges into the 'severe' category again with AQI of 412, while Gurugram sees improvement amid stricter pollution measures.

A resident near the Red Fort complained that apart from health issues, students cannot attend schools as most institutions remain closed while some switched to online classes.

Amid the persistent smog crisis affecting Delhi and other regions of North India, the following are the top 10 cities in India currently enjoying relatively clean air, as indicated by their impressive AQI readings by CPCB of November 2024.

Delhi was listed as India's most polluted city Thursday as a weeks-long air quality crisis gripping northern India has shown few signs of letting up.

Delhi's air quality plummeted to 'severe' on Saturday, with an AQI of 412, posing significant health risks. Twenty monitoring stations recorded 'severe' readings, primarily due to vehicular emissions and stubble burning.

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),

Experts attribute the deteriorating conditions to a mix of vehicular emissions, industrial pollution, and unfavourable weather patterns

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