Delhi woke up on Monday, the morning after Diwali, under a dense smog cover that pushed its Air Quality Index to around 400, the edge of the severe band, and cut visibility sharply in the early hours. The haze was heaviest around Inderlok, though most of the capital opened to murky skies.
Central Pollution Control Board data showed Burari Crossing with the highest reading at 441. Vivek Vihar followed at 437, Delhi Technological University at 434, and the North Campus of Delhi University and Jahangirpuri at 433 each. Rohini recorded 430, Mundka 417 and Ghazipur 418, both in the severe category. Akshardham, at 337, stayed in the very poor band.
Several other stations stayed just below the 400 mark. CRRI Mathura Road recorded 396, Aya Nagar 386, Talkatora Garden 384 and Lodhi Road 370. Najafgarh measured 340, Anand Vihar 335 and Sri Aurobindo Marg 267. Data was unavailable for IIT Delhi and Dwarka Sector 8.
The deterioration followed a decision by the Commission for Air Quality Management, which invoked Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan across Delhi-NCR on Friday, ahead of Diwali, to head off a further spike. With Stage III in force, existing curbs continue alongside additional pollution-control steps, tighter enforcement and directions to the agencies concerned. The plan covers Delhi and the adjoining districts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
The Central Pollution Control Board classifies an AQI of 0 to 50 as good, 51 to 100 as satisfactory, 101 to 200 as moderate, 201 to 300 as poor, 301 to 400 as very poor and 401 to 500 as severe.
Smog was also reported in Mumbai, where Kherwadi-Bandra East recorded an AQI of 264, Sewri 226, Ghatkopar 221 and Chembur 216. In Uttar Pradesh, smog blanketed parts of Lucknow.