The residents of Delhi-NCR woke up to severe cold, haze, and 'hazardous' air quality on Tuesday, with most AQI stations touching 500-mark (severe plus). According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB),

On Monday, the top court took note of the fact that the Air Quality Index (AQI) entered into the ‘severe plus’ category and directed all Delhi-NCR states to immediately set up teams to strictly enforce anti-pollution GRAP 4 restrictions,

The AQI in Delhi-NCR is in the ‘severe plus’ category. AQI between 0-50 is considered “good”, 51-100 is “satisfactory”, 101-200 is “moderate”, 201-300 is “poor”, 301-400 is “very poor”, 401-500 is “severe” and above 500 is a “severe plus”.

Northern India is grappling with a severe air quality crisis as pollution levels skyrocket across major cities. The situation is particularly dire in Delhi, Mumbai, and parts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where the Air Quality Index (AQI) has reached alarming levels, posing significant health risks.

India's capital city of Delhi has virtually shut down as air pollution hit "severe plus" levels, according to Indian government officials in its pollution control authority.

Delhi recorded air pollution more than 17 times above an acceptable level as worsening smog triggered curbs on trucking and shuttered construction sites and schools.

As toxic air blanketed Delhi on Monday morning, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in several areas of the city crossed the 1500 mark. This alarming spike in pollution levels has made Delhi the most polluted city in the world,

Till Saturday, a majority of Delhi’s pollution load was from stubble fires (25.10%), followed by vehicular emission (12.58%), & contamination from neighbouring states.

The CPCB advised people to minimise travelling during the hours when AQI is in the ‘severe’ or ‘poor’ category.