Delhi’s min temp drops to season’s lowest 16.2°C; air quality slips to 178

Delhi’s minimum temperature dropped to 16.2°C on Monday morning, the lowest recorded so far this season, even as air quality deteriorated to the upper end of the moderate category with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 178 at 10 am, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.Delhi’s air quality has remained largely in the moderate category through October, dipping to the poor zone on October 21, 22 and 23. (HT Photo/Arvind Yadav)The national capital’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 178 at 10 am. The 24-hour average AQI stood at 153 at 4 pm on Sunday. Air quality over the seven days leading up to October 25 averaged 194, the second-lowest average for that specific week in 12 years (2015–2026), according to an HT analysis of CPCB data.Delhi’s air quality has remained largely in the moderate category through October, dipping to the poor zone on October 21, 22 and 23. The latest CPCB bulletin AQI (153, Oct 25) is lower than Delhi’s AQI on 62% of days in the past 3 years. That is mid-range, slightly on the lower side. According to the CPCB, an AQI of 0–50 is classified as good, 51–100 as satisfactory, 101–200 as moderate, 201–300 as poor, 301–400 as very poor and 401–500 as severe.But localised pollution is beginning to build. On Monday morning, 22 of 56 operational monitoring stations in the city recorded “poor” air quality, while the remaining 34 reported moderate levels.According to the Air Quality Early Warning System, Delhi’s air quality was likely to fall to the “poor” category on Monday. “The air quality is likely to be in the ‘poor’ category from 26.10.2026 to 28.10.2026. The outlook for the subsequent six days: The air quality is likely to be in the ‘poor’ to ‘moderate’ category,” the IMD forecast bulletin said.