Monday brought good news for Delhi-NCR residents. Air quality regulators lifted every active anti-pollution restriction under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), marking a significant turnaround after weeks of poor air. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) confirmed the decision, pointing to a sustained improvement in pollution readings.
The city's Air Quality Index reached 119 by Monday evening – sitting in the 'moderate' category. Earlier that morning, the figure had dipped to 97, edging into 'satisfactory' territory. It was a near-milestone: had that reading held through the day, it would have been the first time in this year that Delhi recorded a satisfactory air quality day.
The categories are classified as follows: Good (0–50), Satisfactory (51–100), Moderate (101–200), Poor (201–300), Very Poor (301–400), and Severe (401–500+).
What brought the pollution down?
Weekend rain played a direct role in clearing the air. Several parts of Delhi received light showers on Sunday till 8:30 am. Ayanagar logged the highest rainfall among monitored stations at 0.8 mm. Lodhi Road and Safdarjung followed at 0.5 mm and 0.4 mm, respectively, with Palam and Ridge also recording some precipitation, according to PTI.
What do the temperatures show?
Alongside cleaner air, temperatures are climbing. Delhi's overnight low on Monday touched 17.4C – more than 2.3 degrees warmer than the seasonal average. Lodhi Road recorded the highest minimum at 16.8C, while Ridge was the only station to come in below normal at 15.6C. Palam and Ayanagar sat at 16C and 16.4C, respectively.
Air quality trend over recent years:
According to a previous report of The Times of India, CAQM said the average AQI during the January-March quarter was 231 in 2025, compared with 250 in 2024, 240 in 2023, 241 in 2022, and 278 in 2021. The authority also noted that no day in 2025 recorded AQI above 400, unlike previous years when such severe pollution levels were reported.
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What comes next?
Regulators expect conditions to hold. The CAQM said pollution is likely to stay within the moderate range – between 101 and 200 on the AQI scale – in the near term. Stage-1 restrictions, the last set of measures still in force, had applied across the entire National Capital Region before being withdrawn on Monday.
