The National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi woke up to dense toxic smog on Monday morning, 9 November 2026, as post-Diwali firecracker emissions combined with calm surface winds to push air quality across several residential and industrial hubs into the Severe category.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) Sameer application data recorded at 7:00 AM, Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 376 (Very Poor), with 16 monitoring stations recording AQI levels breaching the 400-mark.
Widespread Severe Hotspots Across Delhi & NCR
Pollutant accumulation peaked across multiple key monitoring stations in the national capital and surrounding National Capital Region (NCR) hubs:
- Delhi Hotspots: Sonia Vihar recorded the highest AQI at 449, followed closely by Burari Crossing (445), Vivek Vihar (441), Jahangirpuri (439), North Campus (437), and Rohini (435). Other severe locations included Mundka (413), Punjabi Bagh (408), and ITO (404).
- NCR Escalations: In the neighboring region of Ghaziabad, New Tehsil-Loni recorded a severe reading of 459. Noida Sector 62 registered 440, while Faridabad’s Sector 11 logged an AQI of 410.
- PM2.5 Surge: HT’s analysis of CPCB 15-minute data revealed that PM2.5 concentrations across 39 continuously reporting stations surged from 190 \mu g/m^3 at 7:45 PM on Diwali evening to 259 \mu g/m^3 by 8:00 PM—more than four times India’s 24-hour national safety standard of 60 \mu g/m^3.
Supreme Court Mandate & Ban Reinstatement
Following the two-day relaxation granted by the Supreme Court on November 2—which permitted certified green crackers during designated hours on November 7 and 8—a complete blanket ban on all firecracker sales and usage is officially reinstated across Delhi-NCR starting Monday, 9 November 2026.
- Weather Inversion: Unfavourable meteorological conditions, including average surface wind speeds below 10 km/h and a low ventilation index, have trapped particulate matter near the ground level.
- Pollution Outlook: The Air Quality Early Warning System (EWS) projects that air quality across Delhi-NCR will remain in the upper end of the ‘Very Poor’ to ‘Severe’ range over the next several days.
