Delhi faces a cold wave coupled with severe air pollution and dense fog. Flight cancellations and strict pollution measures highlight growing environmental challenges.
Cold wave conditions coupled with choking air pollution delivered a double blow to the Delhi-National Capital Region, as air quality hovered just short of the “severe” category on Sunday and dense fog disrupted daily life across north India.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi’s Air Quality Index stood at 390 this morning, a marginal improvement from 398 a day earlier but still firmly in the “very poor” range and threatening to tip into severe levels.
Several monitoring stations recorded far worse readings. Chandni Chowk emerged as one of the most polluted pockets with an AQI of 455, followed by Wazirpur at 449, Bawana at 446, Rohini at 444 and Anand Vihar at 438.
Air quality across adjoining cities remained grim. Gurugram reported an AQI of 354, Noida 352 and Ghaziabad 334, all in the very poor category. Faridabad fared slightly better but still logged a “poor” AQI of 283.
The pollution spike coincided with the capital’s first cold wave of the season. Delhi recorded its coldest December day so far on Saturday, with the maximum temperature plunging to 16.9 degrees Celsius, 5 notches below normal. Thick cloud cover and a persistent grey haze kept the sun largely hidden through the day.
Weather disruptions spilled into air travel as well. At least 129 flights were cancelled at Delhi’s airport on Saturday due to dense fog, news agency PTI reported, citing an official. Flight operations were running smoothly today, Delhi Airport said in an update on X.
Passenger Advisory issued at 06:00 hours.#DelhiAirport #PassengerAdvisory #DELAdvisory pic.twitter.com/GrSsrVoNIH
— Delhi Airport (@DelhiAirport) December 21, 2025
The India Meteorological Department has predicted dense to very dense fog during overnight and early morning hours on Sunday and issued an orange alert for the capital. Maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to hover around 23 degrees Celsius and 9 degrees Celsius, respectively.
The IMD warned of reduced visibility across neighbouring states, including Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana till Sunday morning, with isolated fog pockets expected in Punjab and Haryana between December 25 and 27, and in west Uttar Pradesh on December 26 and 27.
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa cautioned that a western disturbance expected to hit the region could further worsen weather conditions and pollution levels. In a video message, Sirsa warned of strict action against polluting industries and violations of the ongoing construction ban, adding that authorities had received complaints of construction activity despite restrictions.
