Delhi's air quality has remained in the 'poor' category for the fifth consecutive day on Saturday, October 18, 2025, as pollution levels continue to rise ahead of Diwali. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reported an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 268 for Delhi at 4 pm.

The Air Quality Early Warning System has forecast similar air quality for the coming days. The CPCB classifies an AQI between 201 and 300 as 'poor'. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 to 100 "satisfactory", 101 to 200 "moderate", 301 to 400 "very poor", and 401 to 500 "severe".

The situation is even grimmer in some neighboring National Capital Region (NCR) cities. Ghaziabad recorded a "very poor" AQI of 324. Noida and Gurugram also remained in the "poor" category, with AQIs of 298 and 258, respectively.

Within Delhi, nine of the 38 monitoring stations recorded air quality in the "very poor" category. Anand Vihar recorded the highest AQI at 389, followed by Wazirpur (351), Bawana (309), Jahangirpuri (310), Okhla (303), Vivek Vihar (306), Dwarka (310), and Siri Fort (307).

According to the Decision Support System (DSS), transport emissions are the largest contributor to Delhi's air pollution, accounting for 15.6% of total emissions on Saturday. Other factors contributing to the poor air quality include calm winds, falling temperatures, road traffic, festive emissions and stubble burning. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a clear sky for Sunday. The maximum temperature is likely to be around 33 degrees Celsius and the minimum around 19 degrees Celsius.