Tue, 20 Oct, 2026, 06:04 am
Reported by India Today
Delhi’s air quality follows a worrying daily pattern: pollution builds through the night, peaks in the early morning and begins easing as the day progresses.
Data from October 18-20, 2026, shows how changing atmospheric conditions can turn the same city’s air significantly dirtier within hours.
Historical air-quality graphs for New Delhi show the US AQI rising from around 125-130 during the afternoon of October 18 to a peak of 191 at 7:31 am on October 19. The following morning, readings again climbed above 200, reaching approximately 210-215 in the displayed hourly data before falling later in the day.
The pattern highlights a key factor behind Delhi-NCR’s seasonal pollution crisis: it is not just how much pollution the region produces, but how efficiently the atmosphere can disperse it. Smoke from agricultural residue burning can also contribute when winds transport it towards Delhi-NCR.
(Photo: PTI)COOLER NIGHTS TRAP POLLUTANTS NEAR THE GROUNDOne major reason for the early-morning deterioration is temperature inversion. Under normal conditions, warmer air near the ground can rise and mix with the air above, helping disperse pollutants.
