Toxic Smog Chokes Delhi, Air Quality Slips to ‘Severe’ And ‘Very Poor’ Levels – Record 60,000 Pollution Certificates Issued in 24 Hours

New Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) remained engulfed in a thick layer of toxic smog on Friday, December 19, with air quality continuing to stay in the ‘very poor’ category. Large parts of the city and adjoining areas witnessed severely reduced visibility as a persistent grey haze hung over roads and residential areas.

Visuals from across the capital showed dense smog covering key locations, with visibility badly affected in the morning hours. Several areas recorded air quality in the ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’ categories, raising serious health concerns. 

AQI Around AIIMS, INA, India Gate Remains ‘Very Poor’

Drone visuals shot around AIIMS at 8 AM showed toxic smog hovering in the area. The Air Quality Index (AQI) there stood at 351, categorised as ‘very poor’, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Similar conditions were reported around INA, where the AQI was also recorded at 351.

Around India Gate and Kartavya Path, a thick layer of smog continued to blanket the area, with the AQI touching 381, still in the ‘very poor’ category. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has invoked all actions under GRAP Stage-IV across Delhi-NCR in response to the worsening pollution levels.

NCR Sees Severe Pollution

Pollution levels were equally as bad in parts of the NCR. Visuals from the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida showed dense smog, with the AQI recorded at 404, categorised as ‘severe’. Traffic police in Greater Noida issued alerts amid dense fog-like conditions caused by smog.

DCP Pravin Ranjan Singh said, “If the visibility is less than 50 meters, vehicles are being convoyed together at a slow speed. We are constantly making announcements about highway alertness. Our interceptors are deployed on highways to track the speed limits of the vehicles. Motorists were also advised to drive cautiously on the Yamuna Expressway.

Delhi’s Overall AQI Worsens Compared to Thursday

According to CPCB data, Delhi’s overall AQI was recorded at 387 at around 8 AM on Friday, placing it firmly in the ‘very poor’ category. This marked a deterioration from Thursday, when the AQI stood at 373 at 4 PM. Anand Vihar was among the worst-affected areas, recording an AQI of 437, placing it in the ‘severe’ category. Thick smog was also reported around ITO, Ghazipur, Palam and Greater Noida. Several other areas in the national capital saw further deterioration, with Vivek Vihar (436), Punjabi Bagh (412), R.K. Puram (436), Nehru Nagar (425) and Wazirpur (406) all slipping into the ‘severe’ category.

Although some parts of Delhi showed marginal variations in air quality, conditions remained unhealthy. Dilshad Garden recorded an AQI of 356, while Mandir Marg stood at 342. Rohini recorded 396 and North Campus 349, all still falling in the ‘very poor’ range. 

As per AQI categorisation, a reading between 0–50 is considered ‘good’, 51–100 ‘satisfactory’, 101–200 ‘moderate’, 201–300 ‘poor’, 301–400 ‘very poor’, and 401–500 ‘severe’.

‘No PUC, No Fuel’ Drive 

Amid the worsening pollution, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa conducted surprise inspections at several petrol pumps, including those at the Delhi-Gurugram border and Janpath, to review compliance with the ‘No PUC, No Fuel’ directive.

Interacting with pump staff, the Minister urged them to enforce the rule calmly and courteously. “You are the first point of contact in this campaign. Cooperate with people and explain to them that this rule is for their health and the health of their children,” he said.

He also directed officials to ensure clear signboards, public announcements and better queue management at fuel stations. Speaking to vehicle owners, Sirsa said, “This is not a matter of issuing challans; it is a question of clean air. Every valid PUCC issued today is a small victory in our fight against pollution.”

On December 17, nearly 29,938 Pollution Under Control Certificates (PUCCs) were issued in Delhi. On December 18, up to 5.20 PM, 31,974 new certificates were issued, taking the total to over 61,000 in nearly a day. The government expects the number to rise further.

“More than 60,000 people getting their PUCCs in a single day shows that when citizens trust that steps are being taken in the public interest, they extend full cooperation,” the Minister said.

Fog and Smog Disrupt Flights and Travel

Dense smog and fog conditions has also been disrupting air travel for the last few days. On Friday, IndiGo issued a travel advisory warning passengers of possible delays and cancellations due to low visibility. The airline said it was closely monitoring weather conditions and advised travellers to check flight status before heading to airports. 

Delhi Airport also issued a directive at 8 AM, stating that dense fog was impacting flight schedules and operations were under CAT III conditions. Passengers were advised to contact their airlines for real-time updates.

No Immediate Relief - AQI Likely to Worsen

Residents of Delhi-NCR are unlikely to get respite in the coming days. Data from the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, predicts air quality to remain ‘very poor’ on December 19 and 20, and slip into the ‘severe’ category on December 21. PM2.5 levels are predicted to touch as high as 539 on December 22.

Environmentalists have described the situation as a ‘public health emergency’. Environmentalist Vimlendu Jha warned that while India’s AQI officially tops at 500, private monitors have shown AQI levels touching 800 in parts of Delhi. “In Zurich, if PM2.5 crosses 5, the city is shut down. But in Delhi, PM2.5 has crossed 400 and 450. The overall AQI is 800–900. It is extremely dangerous,” he said, calling the city’s condition similar to a gas chamber.

“What we need is to focus on the sources of pollution, look at long-term solutions, the total systemic changes with regard to transport, our energy, our construction regime, our greenery. That is the change that is required. And unfortunately, what we've seen for several decades across political parties, nobody has that political will, political urgency or understanding to take this challenge head-on," he added.

Jha also criticised the lack of political urgency, saying Parliament failed to hold a meaningful discussion on air pollution despite weeks of hazardous air quality. “It's so unfortunate that despite for almost three weeks of terrible to very terrible air, severe to hazardous air quality that Delhi NCR has had, our Parliament hasn't found time to really discuss on this," Vimlendu Jha stated. “All political parties lack that political will and urgency, and they're only making a fool out of people,” he added. 

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