NEW DELHI: The national capital shivered through its coldest November night in three years on Sunday, with temperatures dipping to 9°C — 4.5 degrees below the seasonal average according to the India Meteorological Department. Not since 29 November 2022, when the city recorded 7.3°C, has November felt this cold. In the past two years, the lowest November readings were 9.2°C in 2023 and 9.5°C in 2024.The weather office expects the chill to persist, forecasting a minimum of 9°C and a maximum of around 25°C on Monday, along with shallow fog by early morning. Humidity touched 81 per cent at 8.30am on Sunday, adding to the dense smog that blanketed large parts of the city.
AQI still ‘very poor’
Even as temperatures plunged, pollution levels remained grim. Delhi’s 24-hour average Air Quality Index stood at 377 on Sunday — firmly in the ‘very poor’ category. At several monitoring stations, conditions were far worse: the CPCB’s Sameer app showed that 11 of 39 sites were in the ‘severe’ bracket with readings above 400. By Sunday morning, 18 stations had slipped into the severe range, while another 20 recorded ‘very poor’ air. Iconic locations such as India Gate, Rajghat and ITO were engulfed in a thick layer of smog, with Rajghat and ITO hitting an alarming AQI of 417. Chandni Chowk touched 420, while Anand Vihar, Alipur and Ashok Vihar hovered between 400 and 415. Even areas with slightly lower levels, such as Dwarka (378) and Dhaula Kuan (338), remained heavily polluted.Authorities said PM2.5 and PM10 particles were the dominant pollutants. With the haze settling deeper as winter begins, the Commission for Air Quality Management has enforced Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan. Measures include a ban on most non-essential construction, restrictions on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles, suspension of classes up to Class 5, curbs on polluting industrial activity and a ban on non-emergency diesel generator sets.
