Report · 09 November 2026

500 AQI at Chhawla, 24 hours to 4 PM, 09 November 2026, the worst monitor in Delhi today, Severe on CPCB's documented formula, and PM2.5 set that figure. 1.5 lakh people live within 4 km of it.

413.8

TODAY

Delhi's AQI calculated with CPCB's documented formula, the mean of 47 stations.

1.90 crore

NEAR POOR OR WORSE

Within 4 km of 47 Poor-or-worse monitors: 83.8 per cent of Delhi, every pollutant counted.

17.6x

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, 4.1 MB

The day in brief

Delhi's AQI was 413.8, Severe, calculated with CPCB's documented formula as the mean of 47 stations' AQIs (CPCB's note "How is AQI calculated?" and its AQI Calculator; page 28 sets out the formula). As measured, 47 of the 47 monitors reading PM2.5 were above the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. Above AQI 200 today: 47 stations, Chhawla 500, Aya Nagar 490, Punjabi Bagh 477, IGI Airport (T3) 460, and 43 more in the station table. Poor or worse air reached 1.90 crore people within 4 km of their monitor today, 83.8 per cent of Delhi.

The year so far, 1 January to 8 November: the cleaner days of 2026 have been the dirtiest for these dates since 2019, because three days in four read above 107.8 on the particle AQI, against 95.0 on the same dates of 2025. The middle day reads 157.4 against 146.6 on the same dates last year. On an average day, 29.1 per cent of Delhi's reporting monitors, about 13 of 44, sat above 200 on the particle AQI.

The findings

What the report says

Against yesterday: the one-day move

From 401 to 414. On the 47 stations that reported on both days, the 95 per cent interval runs -8.3 to 34.4 points, so the honest reading is level, not worse.

Against last year: the observed reading

Today 414 across 47 stations. The year is judged on the 31 matched stations: 418 today against 382, the mean of the same date ±7 days of 2025 at those stations. The interval runs 10.2 to 59.8 points.

The worst station in the city today

Severe, set by PM2.5. Its PM2.5 averaged 421.7 µg/m³ over the 24 hours to 4 PM, 28.1 times the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. 1.5 lakh people live within 4 km of this monitor. Within 500 m of the monitor, 5% of the land is built up and 95% is under vegetation, so this reading describes open ground rather than a residential street, and should not be read as typical of where people live.

The year, from its best days to its worst

On the same 312 complete dates, 1 January to 8 November, the best tenth of days reads 77.5 against 72.5 and the worst tenth 302.0 against 320.7. The days at or below 200 went from 211 to 219.

How much of the city was above AQI 200

That is 12.9 of 44.5 reporting stations, against 30.6 per cent over the same dates last year, a change of -1.5 points on an interval of -8.3 to +4.6, 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; 47 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 83.8 per cent of Delhi, living around the 47 monitors that read Poor or worse. Chhawla was worst at 500, and 1.5 lakh people live within 4 km of it. This counts people near the monitors, not measured individual exposure.

Back to the daily archive