Delhi's air quality improves to 'moderate' after 3 days of 'poor' quality

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Updated - October 24, 2026 12:48 pm IST - New Delhi

A thick layer of toxic foam covers the Yamuna river surface amid haze, in New Delhi, on October 24, 2026 | Photo Credit: PTI

Delhi's air quality improved to the "moderate" category on Saturday (October 24, 2026) morning after three consecutive days of "poor" air, offering some respite to residents.

The air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 185 (moderate) at 9 a.m. on Saturday (October 24, 2026), compared with the 24-hour average of 230 (poor) at 4 p.m. on Friday (October 23, 2026), according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

As per CPCB standards, an AQI of 0-50 is considered "good", 51-100 "satisfactory", 101-200 "moderate", 201-300 "poor", 301-400 "very poor", and 401-500 "severe".

The city also witnessed a slight dip in minimum temperature on Saturday (October 24, 2026), with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting partly cloudy skies over the next few days.

Safdarjung, representative of the city's weather, recorded a minimum temperature of 18.3 degrees Celsius, 1.1 degrees above normal but 0.7 degrees lower than the previous day.

Other weather stations also recorded a slight decrease in minimum temperatures. Palam recorded a minimum of 17.6 degrees Celsius, 0.7 degrees less than the day before; Lodhi Road recorded a minimum of 17.6 degrees, and Ayanagar recorded a minimum of 17 degrees.

The day's maximum temperature is likely to settle between 32 and 34 degrees Celsius, the IMD said.

Published - October 24, 2026 11:18 am IST

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