Delhi’s air stayed very poor for a third straight day, with AQI at 369 on 4 November. GRAP Stage 2 curbs are in force, and green crackers go on sale today — but they can only be burst on 7 and 8 November.
Updated: 4 November 2026, 10:00 IST
Quick Read
- Delhi’s AQI was 369 on 4 November, in the very poor band (301-400), per CPCB data reported by Times Now.
- GRAP Stage 2 curbs are in force across Delhi-NCR since 2 November.
- Green crackers go on sale 4-6 November, for bursting only 6-7 am and 8-10 pm on 7 and 8 November. No online sale. Full ban returns 9 November.
Delhi’s air is very poor again today. The city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was 369 on 4 November, per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data reported by Times Now. AQI is a number that shows how polluted the air is. Higher means worse.
The scale is simple. AQI 0-50 is good. 51-100 is satisfactory. 101-200 is moderate. 201-300 is poor. 301-400 is very poor. 401-500 is severe. At 369, Delhi is in the very poor band, close to severe.
This is the third straight day in very poor air. Delhi’s AQI was 324 on 2 November. It rose to 350 on 3 November, per The Telegraph. It is now 369 on 4 November. The trend is upward, not improving.
Ten monitoring stations reported severe air on 3 November, per the Daily Pioneer, citing CPCB. Of 57 stations in Delhi, 10 were severe, 35 very poor and 12 poor on that day. Gurugram and Noida were also very poor on 4 November, per Times Now.
Why the air got worse so fast
Delhi’s air changed sharply in a few days. It was 117 (moderate) on 31 October. It rose to 261 (poor) on 1 November. Then it crossed 300 on 2 November.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) blames unfavourable weather. Unfavourable weather means low wind and poor dispersion. Dispersion is how well the air spreads out pollution. When wind is slow, smoke stays trapped near the ground.
CAQM cited forecasts from the IMD and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM). Both said air would stay very poor in the coming days.
Stubble burning is one part of the mix. Stubble is the leftover stalks after farmers harvest paddy. Some farmers burn it in fields. Smoke travels to Delhi.
How big is that share? It changes by day and by model. The IITM Decision Support System put stubble burning at 8.4% of Delhi’s pollution on 2 November. The same system put it at 15.3% in the Times Now report for 4 November. It also forecast stubble share could rise to 22% by Thursday, 5 November, per the Indian Express.
Transport is also a big share. The Decision Support System put transport at about 19.2% on 2 November, and 15.8% in the later Times Now report. Local sources like homes, industry and dust add the rest. No single source explains Delhi’s air alone. Weather traps whatever smoke is already there.
Satellites counted 219 farm fires across six states on 2 November, per Times Now. Punjab had 98, Rajasthan 67, Madhya Pradesh 48, Uttar Pradesh 4 and Haryana 2. Fire counts change daily, and evening fires may be missed by daytime satellite passes. So the count is a guide, not an exact total.
Also read: Delhi green firecrackers: November 7-8 rules | Cyclone Murasu: Andhra aftermath, November 3
GRAP Stage 2: what is in force now
GRAP is the Graded Response Action Plan. It is a set of emergency steps that get stricter as air gets worse. Stage 2 applies when AQI is 301-400. CAQM invoked Stage 2 across Delhi-NCR on 2 November, with immediate effect.
Stage 2 steps include daily mechanical sweeping of roads and water sprinkling to settle dust. Parking fees are raised to discourage private cars. Metro and bus services are increased. Construction sites face stricter dust checks.
Coal and firewood are banned in hotels, restaurants and open eateries under Stage 2. Diesel generator sets are limited to emergency and essential use. Resident welfare associations must give electric heaters to security guards, so they do not burn wood to keep warm.
Vehicle rules also apply. Non-BS-VI vehicles from outside Delhi face entry curbs from 1 November to 31 January. BS-VI is a cleaner emission standard for vehicles. Electric and CNG vehicles are exempt. Border checks to enforce these rules caused long traffic queues on 2 November, per The Times of India.
The Delhi High Court has declined interim relief against the entry restrictions, per Urban Acres. Interim relief means a temporary court order to pause a rule. The case is listed for 27 November.
Green crackers: sale dates, use hours, and bans
This is the part many readers need for Diwali. Diwali falls on 8 November this year, per the Daily Pioneer. The Supreme Court has allowed certified green crackers in Delhi-NCR for a limited window.
Green crackers are not normal crackers. They are tested to release less smoke and harmful chemicals. They must be certified by CSIR-NEERI, a government research lab in Nagpur. CSIR stands for Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. NEERI is its environmental engineering institute.
Sale window: green crackers can be sold from 4 to 6 November. That sale window starts today, 4 November. Traders whose licences were cancelled get them restored for those three days only. Sales are allowed only at spots picked by the district collector and police.
Use window: green crackers can be burst only between 6 am and 7 am, and between 8 pm and 10 pm, on 7 and 8 November. That is three hours per day. The same hours apply on both days. This matches the 3 November post’s windows, and is confirmed by The Telegraph, The Times of India and Transclew.
No online sale is allowed. Each box must carry a QR code for its product and batch. A QR code is a square barcode you scan with a phone. Crackers with barium, a harmful chemical, are banned. Crackers not approved by CSIR-NEERI are banned. Ladi, a string of crackers joined together, is also banned.
From 9 November, the complete ban returns. That means no bursting after 8 November, even of leftover green crackers, under the court’s order.
The court’s order is dated 29 October, by Justices M.M. Sundresh and Prasanna B. Varale. The court said it lacked enough data to judge whether a complete ban was the best solution. It ordered daily air quality reports from CPCB for 2-6 November (pre-Diwali), 7-8 November (Diwali) and 9-30 November (post-Diwali). Those reports will show whether the limited window made air worse.
What you can do today
If you must go out, wear a mask that fits well. Keep windows closed during high-smoke hours. People with asthma, heart problems, children and older adults should limit outdoor exercise today.
Do not buy crackers from unknown sellers today. Check for CSIR-NEERI certification and the QR code. Do not buy online, even if a seller offers delivery. Online sale is not allowed under the court’s order.
If you plan to burst crackers, wait for 7 November. Bursting before 7 November breaks the court’s window. The sale window (4-6 November) is not a use window.
Check the CPCB AQI for your area before you step out. Delhi’s average hides local differences. One area can be severe while another is very poor.
Also read: US midterms: November 3 impact for India
FAQ
Q1 What is Delhi’s AQI today, 4 November? Delhi’s AQI was reported at 369 on 4 November, in the very poor band (301-400). That is the third straight day in very poor air, after 324 on 2 November and 350 on 3 November.
Q2 When can I buy and burst green crackers in Delhi-NCR? Buy from 4 to 6 November, from approved spots only, with no online sale. Burst only on 7 and 8 November, between 6-7 am and 8-10 pm. The full ban returns on 9 November.
Q3 What does GRAP Stage 2 mean for daily life? It means stricter dust control, higher parking fees, more public transport, curbs on polluting vehicles entering Delhi, and limits on coal, firewood and diesel generators. It applies across Delhi-NCR while AQI stays in the 301-400 band.
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