New Delhi – The Delhi air quality crisis has reached alarming proportions in January 2026, with residents enduring the worst air pollution the capital has experienced in at least five years during this month. The Air Quality Index has remained above 400 for three consecutive days, marking a grim milestone that matches a record previously set only in January 2021. This prolonged exposure to hazardous air has raised serious concerns about public health and the effectiveness of emergency pollution control measures.
On Monday, the AQI in Delhi stood at 410, representing the third straight day the Delhi air quality crisis breached the 400 threshold. This dangerous streak has placed the capital perilously close to an unprecedented fourth consecutive day of “severe” air quality in January, a threshold Delhi has never crossed in recorded history during this month.
Weekend Deterioration and Emergency Response
The Delhi air quality crisis intensified over the weekend, with Sunday recording an AQI of 440 and Saturday registering 400. Saturday’s conditions began poorly and deteriorated steadily throughout the day, prompting the Commission for Air Quality Management to invoke the strictest Stage-4 measures under the Graded Response Action Plan. Despite these emergency curbs remaining in force, the Delhi air quality crisis has shown little improvement, exposing significant gaps in enforcement and effectiveness.
More alarmingly, the Delhi air quality crisis has demonstrated that emergency measures alone cannot address the deep-rooted pollution problem without strict ground-level implementation. The continued deterioration despite Grap Stage-4 activation has raised fundamental questions about systemic failures in tackling the capital’s toxic air.
Widespread Impact Across Monitoring Stations
Data from the Central Pollution Control Board reveals the extensive scope of the Delhi air quality crisis. Of 39 active ambient air quality monitoring stations across the city, at least 25 were reporting “severe” air quality through Monday. Several areas experienced near-toxic conditions that pushed the limits of measurement scales.
Wazirpur in northwest Delhi recorded a staggering AQI of 473 during the Delhi air quality crisis, followed closely by Vivek Vihar at 472. On Sunday, Anand Vihar peaked at 497, just three points short of the maximum possible reading of 500, effectively brushing against the upper limits of the index. These readings demonstrate that the Delhi air quality crisis is not confined to specific pockets but represents a city-wide emergency affecting all residents.
Historical Context and Seasonal Patterns
The current Delhi air quality crisis is particularly jarring because mid-January typically heralds a period of gradual improvement in air conditions. Residents usually experience some relief during this time after the punishing pollution season that sets in by late October. Instead, they are facing an intensified and prolonged toxic spell following December 2025, which was recorded as the most polluted December in five years.
This deviation from normal seasonal patterns makes the Delhi air quality crisis especially concerning for environmental experts and health professionals who expected improvements rather than deterioration at this point in winter.
Also Read: Yamuna Defoamer Usage: Shocking 48,000kg Used in 63 Days
Bleak Forecasts Offer Little Relief
The Centre’s Air Quality Early Warning System has warned that the Delhi air quality crisis will likely persist over coming days, offering little immediate comfort to residents. While there is a marginal chance that AQI could slip into the “very poor” range on Tuesday, conditions are expected to remain hazardous throughout the week.
“Delhi’s air quality is likely to be in the ‘very poor’ category from January 20 till 22. The outlook for the subsequent six days from January 23 shows the AQI is likely to be between ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’,” the EWS stated in its Monday bulletin, indicating the Delhi air quality crisis will continue affecting residents’ health and daily activities.
Expert Recommendations and Enforcement Gaps
Mohammad Rafiuddin, programme lead at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, emphasized that addressing the Delhi air quality crisis requires ensuring Stage-4 Grap restrictions are actually implemented on the ground. This includes preventing movement of polluting vehicles, enforcing dust control at construction sites, and curbing open biomass burning.
Rafiuddin urged citizens to follow the Grap charter, minimize outdoor exposure, use public transport where possible, and wear masks to reduce health risks during the Delhi air quality crisis. These individual actions, combined with strict enforcement, represent the best defense against toxic air exposure.
Supreme Court Criticism and Systemic Failures
The Delhi air quality crisis has revived questions about systemic failures in pollution control. On January 6, the Supreme Court criticized CAQM, calling its inability to clearly identify pollution sources and their relative contribution a “complete failure of duty.” The court directed the body to complete a source identification and apportionment exercise within two weeks and place findings in the public domain.
In December, the court went further during the Delhi air quality crisis discussions, describing existing measures as a “total failure” and demanding a comprehensive long-term strategy beyond reactive emergency responses.
Weather Conditions Compound Problems
Weather conditions have offered little respite during the Delhi air quality crisis this month. Moderate fog was recorded Monday morning, with visibility dropping to 200 meters at Safdarjung and 700 meters at Palam. The minimum temperature rose to 7.7°C, while the maximum climbed sharply to 26.7°C, nearly seven degrees above normal, aiding pollutant accumulation near the surface.
Some relief from the Delhi air quality crisis may arrive toward week’s end, with the India Meteorological Department forecasting light rain around January 23 linked to an active western disturbance that could temporarily improve air conditions.
