The Quint visited seven AQI monitoring stations across Delhi, and this is what we found.

Delhi-NCR saw improved air quality in early 2025 due to favourable weather. After Diwali, AQI surged, making Delhi the most polluted major city globally. Data from CPCB and IQAir highlighted drastic AQI increases, with residential and industrial areas worst hit. Can green crackers help?

Delhi's air pollution is a year-round menace, not merely a winter phenomenon. The city is trapped in a perfect storm of its own traffic, industry, and construction dust, which is then catastrophically exacerbated each autumn by agricultural burning in neighbouring states. The fundamental question remains whether India's capital can ever truly escape its toxic air and reclaim a healthy environment.