The situation had begun to worsen on Diwali day itself. At around 4 pm in the evening November 4, Delhi had an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 382. The CPCB’s Central Control Room recorded Particulate Matter (PM)2.5 levels in Delhi-NCR to be 309 microgram per cubic metre (µg / m³) at 11.30 pm November 4. PM10 levels were recorded to be 500 µg / m³ at 3.30 am. Here, commuters drive on National Highway 24 near Sarai Kale Khan, Delhi.
Air quality will be severe November 5 and 6, according to forecasts. It will start to improve November 7, according to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune. Here, a tanker sprinkles water on a road in Anand Vihar, Delhi to reduce dust.
Delhi and its surrounding cities and towns woke up to a smoggy and hazy morning November 5, a day after the national capital celebrated Diwali with almost pre-pandemic like fervour. Here, a Metro train plies over the Noida-Akshardham Link Road at Mayur Vihar Phase 1, Delhi.
Particulate Matter (PM)2.5 in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) at 10.34 am November 5 was seven times the average level of 60 microgram per cubic metre (µg/m³) at 417 µg/m³. On the other hand, PM10 was six times its average level of 100 µg/m³ at 598 µg/m³. Here, a water tank is silhouetted against the Ghazipur landfill in Delhi.
The Yamuna floodplain in Delhi is used for agriculture in the dry season by migrants from other states. Here, a man carries a bag of corn through floodwaters near Akshardham Temple.
The water of the Yamuna has entered its floodplain areas in Delhi and the National Capital Region after the river crossed the danger mark recently. Here a family plows through waist-deep water near Akshardham Temple.