After Diwali, the air quality in Delhi drops back to “poor.” CM Gupta gets ready for artificial rain. The Air Quality Index (AQI) forecasts show that conditions will stay in the “poor” to “very poor” range.
October 24, 2025, in New Delhi—Delhi’s ongoing battle with smog after Diwali got a little better today, as the air quality went from “very poor” to “poor.” The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said that the Air Quality Index (AQI) was 293 at 6 a.m. on Friday, October 24. This change gives the national capital a little break after four days of “very poor” air.
At 4 p.m. on Thursday, the city’s 24-hour average air quality was 305, which is in the “very poor” range.
Pollution Hotspots in the City
Even while the total AQI went down a little, many monitoring stations in Delhi still reported very high levels of pollution on Thursday. The Anand Vihar region was the worst hit, with an AQI of 403, which put it in the “severe” category.
Other well-known places with “very poor” air quality (AQI between 301 and 400) were:
Wazirpur (337)
Burari (335)
Ashoke Vihar (322)
ITO (316)
Punjabi Bagh (313)
Sonia Vihar (306)
Shadipur (306)
Jahangirpuri (305)
Only a few places, including Alipur (285), were able to stay in the “poor” group. The Decision Support System (DSS) found that transportation emissions were a major cause of Delhi’s air pollution on Thursday, making approximately 15.7 percent of the total.
Air Quality in the NCR Area
The air quality in the National Capital Region (NCR) was also bad, mostly falling into the “poor” category:
The AQI in Gurugram (Sector 51) was 295.
Ghaziabad (Indirapuram) was 292.
The AQI in Noida was 248.
Faridabad was at 230.
Meerut had 218.
Overall, the major NCR satellite cities are having trouble with “bad” air quality right now.
The Weather and What the Government Will Do
The Centre’s Air Quality Early Warning System (EWS) says that the AQI is anticipated to be in the “poor” and “very poor” range for the next few days. This means that the problems with air quality are not over yet.
The Delhi government has declared a more aggressive action plan in response to the crisis:
Enforcement and infrastructure on the ground:
On Thursday, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that almost 2,000 teams are working around the clock to figure out and put in place ways to stop pollution in the city.
The government is also getting ready to send out a lot of resources, such as 70 more mechanized sweepers, 70 more anti-smog guns, water sprinklers, and 140 litter pickers. These materials are supposed to cover 1,440 kilometers of roads.
Artificial Rain: A Scientific Intervention
In a big step forward, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Thursday that all the work needed to make artificial rain through cloud seeding is done.
CM Gupta said that the meteorological department has said that there is a chance of good cloud cover on October 28, 29, and 30. This innovative method is being promoted as a major part of the scientific effort to fight pollution in the national capital.