Report · 30 October 2026

87 AQI at Shadipur, 24 hours to 4 PM, 30 October 2026, set by nitrogen dioxide. 16.5 lakh people live within 4 km of it.

63.5

TODAY

Delhi's AQI calculated with CPCB's documented formula, the mean of 55 stations.

1.6x

THE WHO 24-HOUR LINE

Delhi's PM2.5 today, as measured, against the WHO 24-hour guideline.

The AQI figures here are calculated with the formula that the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) publishes for its air quality index. CPCB's own documents set out that formula: CPCB's note on how the AQI is calculated; CPCB's AQI calculator.

The full report

The complete written report for this day, with every figure and the source it comes from.

Download the daily reportPDF, 4.7 MB

The day in brief

Today, 30 October 2026, 24 hours to 4 PM: Delhi's AQI was 63.5, Satisfactory, calculated with CPCB's documented formula as the mean of 55 stations' AQIs (CPCB's note "How is AQI calculated?" and its AQI Calculator; page 34 sets out the formula). As measured, 37 of the 42 monitors reading PM2.5 were above the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. The highest reading anywhere in Delhi today was 145 at Badarpur, and carbon monoxide set that figure. The figure at the head of this page is lower, because this record does not anchor its headline on a reading that carbon monoxide set (Badarpur and Wazirpur and Pusa (DPCC)). The highest reading that particle pollution set was 84 at IIT Delhi, on PM10.

The year so far, 1 January to 29 October: the cleaner days of 2026 have been the dirtiest for these dates since 2019, because three days in four read above 107.4 on the particle AQI, against 93.3 on the same dates of 2025. The middle day reads 155.4 against 142.8 on the same dates last year. On an average day, 27.3 per cent of Delhi's reporting monitors, about 12 of 44, sat above 200 on the particle AQI.

The findings

What the report says

Against yesterday: the one-day move

From 238 to 63. On the 55 stations that reported on both days, the 95 per cent interval runs -192.2 to -157.5 points.

Against last year: the observed reading

Today 63 across 55 stations. The year is judged on the 36 matched stations: 65 today against 313, the mean of the same date ±7 days of 2025 at those stations. The interval runs -260.1 to -234.8 points.

The highest reading not set by carbon monoxide

Satisfactory, set by nitrogen dioxide. Last year this station read 306 on the mean of the same date ±7 days, so the change is -219.4 points. 16.5 lakh people live within 4 km of this monitor. The highest reading of the day was 145 at Badarpur, set by carbon monoxide. Within 500 m of the monitor, 85% of the land is built up and 14% is under vegetation, so this reading describes a densely built neighbourhood.

The year, from its best days to its worst

On the same 302 complete dates, 1 January to 29 October, the best tenth of days reads 77.5 against 72.4 and the worst tenth 281.7 against 311.7. The days at or below 200 went from 211 to 217.

How much of the city was above AQI 200

That is 11.7 of 44.1 reporting stations, against 28.6 per cent over the same dates last year, a change of -1.2 points on an interval of -8.1 to +5.1, so it is unchanged inside its margin.

Who the monitoring network reaches

Within 4 km live 92 per cent of Delhi's people, within 2 km 44 per cent, and within 500 m only 3.5 per cent. The map holds 55 monitors in 53 zones; 55 monitors reported today. 33 of the 53 zones stretch past our chosen 4 km proximity threshold, informed by US EPA neighbourhood-scale guidance.

What each monitor's reading speaks for

That is 0.0 per cent of Delhi, living around the 0 monitors that read Poor or worse. The highest reading this record leads on is Shadipur at 87, and 16.5 lakh people live within 4 km of it; the higher readings it sets aside are named below. This counts people near the monitors, not measured individual exposure.

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