Delhi AQI near severe at 391 as Diwali approaches

Delhi's air quality stayed in the "very poor" band on Friday (6 November) but sat just short of "severe", with the city's overall Air Quality Index reported around 389–391 through the morning. About 30 of 59 monitoring stations were already in the severe range at 9 am, The New Indian Express and other outlets reported, citing Central Pollution Control Board data.

Rohini and IIT Delhi were among the worst readings, with AQIs in the mid-470s. Punjabi Bagh, RK Puram, ITO and India Gate also recorded severe or near-severe levels in the morning bulletins. Under CPCB bands, 301–400 is "very poor" and 401–500 is "severe".

The Air Quality Early Warning System has said Delhi is likely to see its first severe-air day of the season on Friday, with hazardous conditions expected to persist into the Diwali weekend. Peak stubble burning in the north-west and firecracker smoke are both expected to add to the load if winds stay weak.

Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan is already in force in Delhi-NCR. On Friday morning, municipal teams were running truck-mounted water sprinklers near India Gate as part of those measures, The Times of India reported.

Weather offices forecast a relatively warm night for early November and shallow fog into next week. Experts quoted in national coverage have warned that some hotspots could push past 450 if emissions rise further around Diwali on Sunday.

Delhi is also operating under tighter Diwali firecracker rules this year after Supreme Court directions on green crackers, timings and QR-code packs, which The Indian Idiot explained earlier this week. Even with those limits, pollution agencies still expect a festival spike if weather stays stagnant.