New Delhi: The national capital entered 2026 under a thick blanket of smog, with air quality across Delhi NCR remaining in the ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ category on New Year’s Day, raising serious health and visibility concerns.
According to official air quality data, Anand Vihar remained the worst-affected area with an AQI of 424, firmly in the severe zone. Wazirpur recorded 417, while Paparganj touched 402, also slipping into hazardous levels.
Several other locations across the capital hovered dangerously close to the severe category. JLN Stadium and Siri Fort recorded AQI levels of 396, RK Puram stood at 393, ITO at 386, and Chandni Chowk continued to breathe very poor air. In the NCR region, Noida Sector-125 recorded an AQI of 358, adding to the regional pollution burden.
Residents across Delhi woke up to low visibility and a biting mix of cold and pollution, with visuals from multiple parts of the city showing dense haze on the very first morning of the new year.
Adding to the concern, the meteorological and medical departments have issued a yellow alert for dense to very dense fog, warning of reduced visibility across several North Indian cities. The alert covers Delhi, Noida, Lucknow, Kanpur, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, and Gorakhpur, where fog combined with high pollution levels could worsen respiratory risks.
Health authorities have advised children, the elderly, and people with respiratory ailments to limit outdoor exposure, as air quality is expected to remain poor in the coming days.
As celebrations fade, Delhi NCR continues to struggle for clean air, beginning 2026 with the same environmental crisis that plagued the previous year—toxic air, poor visibility, and mounting health warnings.
