After a brief respite, the air quality in Delhi has once again plunged into the "severe" category on Friday, with the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 401 at 6 PM today. According to IQAir,

Delhi`s air quality slipped back to the `severe` category on Saturday morning with an AQI of 420 while the minimum temperature was recorded at 11.4 degrees Celsius. Out of 38 monitoring stations, nine recorded air quality in the `severe plus` category with AQI exceeding 450.

Whatever the causes of the smog, by one ranking Delhi was not just the most polluted city in the world, but “nearly five times as bad as the second most polluted city, Dhaka,” in Bangladesh next door, as Shashi Tharoor, a leader of the opposition in Parliament and best-selling author, posted on X.

At 6 am on Saturday, the CPCB recorded Delhi’s AQI at 419, which placed it back in the ‘severe’ category.

Offline classes are likely to resume on November 25, while the schedule for examinations and interviews remains unchanged. The development comes as the authorities had ordered the closure of schools till November 23.

Confined to her family's ramshackle shanty by the toxic smog choking India's capital, Harshita Gautam strained to hear her teacher's instructions over a cheap mobile phone borrowed from her mother.

The Central Pollution Control Board data shows of the 38 monitoring stations in Delhi, nine reported AQI readings in the “severe” range.

Unhealthy

Experts attribute the deteriorating conditions to a mix of vehicular emissions, industrial pollution, and unfavourable weather patterns

The AQI in Anand Vihar was recorded as 457; the AQI in Ashok Vihar was 455; Chandni Chowk's AQI was 439 and RK Puram recorded an AQI of 421.

A thick layer of smog engulfed the national capital on Friday while the air quality index in Delhi remained in the 'very poor' category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Drone visuals from the Mayur Vihar and Kalindi Kunj areas revealed the thick density of smog.