Delhi woke up to thick smog again on Thursday, 5 November, with India Gate recording an AQI of 399 — just two points short of "severe". GRAP Stage 2 curbs stay in force, and the forecast says it gets worse on 6–7 November.
Updated: 5 November 2026, 10:00 IST
Quick Read
- India Gate AQI was 399 on Thursday morning, per CPCB data reported by ANI.
- Delhi’s city average was reported between 368 and 377, depending on the hour and method.
- GRAP Stage 2 stays in force; green crackers can be sold 4–6 Nov and burst only on 7–8 Nov, 6–7 am and 8–10 pm.
Delhi’s air did not get better overnight. On Thursday morning, 5 November, a thick layer of smog covered the capital. The Air Quality Index, or AQI, near India Gate stood at 399. That’s in the "very poor" band. It’s just two points below "severe", which starts at 401. ANI reported the India Gate figure at 6:40 am, citing Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. Photos from the area showed the monument wrapped in haze. People still went for morning walks and cycling through it.
What do the numbers mean?
AQI is a single number for how clean or dirty the air is. The CPCB scale is simple. 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. Delhi is deep in the bad end of that scale. And India Gate was not the worst spot. Nauroji Nagar Ring Road recorded 416. The area near AIIMS recorded 402. Both are in the severe band. Jahangirpuri was the worst of the big stations, at 459–460 in morning reports. East Delhi looked a bit better, but only by comparison. Anand Vihar recorded 296. That’s still "poor". There was no clean corner of the city on Thursday morning.
Why is it this bad now?
Two causes keep coming up in reports. One is the weather. Calm winds and winter haze trap smoke close to the ground. The other is farm fires across the border, plus vehicle exhaust inside the city. Wednesday was already Delhi’s worst air day in 288 days. The 24-hour average touched 377. That’s the worst since 20 January, when it was 378. Thursday morning carried on from there. The Air Quality Early Warning System forecast is grim. It says Delhi stays "very poor" on Thursday, then slips to "severe" on 6 and 7 November. Diwali falls on 8 November. The timing could hardly be worse.
Also read: Delhi AQI Very Poor: Green Crackers Diwali
What is GRAP Stage 2, and what does it change?
GRAP stands for Graded Response Action Plan. It’s a set of steps that get tougher as air gets worse. Stage 2 kicked in on 2 November, when Delhi first hit "very poor" this season. Under Stage 2, the focus is on dust, vehicles, and road sweeping. Non-BS-VI vehicles face entry curbs. BS-VI is the latest, cleaner vehicle emission standard in India. Older, dirtier vehicles are the ones hit. One thing Stage 2 does NOT do: close schools. NDTV reported that no school or college closure is prescribed under Stage 2. Classes continue unless a state government or district office issues a separate order. Hybrid classes for young children come in only at Stage 3.
Green crackers: what is allowed, and when?
The Supreme Court allowed a short, strict window for certified green crackers. Green crackers are made to release less smoke and fewer harmful chemicals than normal crackers. But only certified ones count. Here’s the rule, plain and simple. Sale: 4 to 6 November, at designated spots only. No online sale. Use: only on 7 and 8 November, and only from 6 am to 7 am and from 8 pm to 10 pm. The full ban comes back on 9 November. Each box must carry a QR code. That code shows the maker, the licence, and the test certificate. Only crackers certified by CSIR-NEERI and PESO can be sold. CSIR-NEERI is a government research body. PESO is the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation. No crackers are allowed within 300 metres of hospitals, health centres, old-age homes, schools, and notified silence zones. These are marked as No-Cracker Zones. Note the trap here: buying a cracker on 5 November does not mean you can burst it on 5 November. Bursting is allowed only on 7 and 8 November, in those two windows.
What should you do today?
If you can, keep outdoor exercise short in the morning, when smog is thickest. Wear a proper mask outdoors if you have one — a cloth mask won’t cut it against fine dust. Keep windows shut during the worst hours. And if you have asthma or breathing trouble, take extra care over the next two days. The forecast says 6 and 7 November will be worse, not better. The next number to watch is Friday morning’s reading. If Delhi crosses into "severe" as forecast, Stage 3 curbs could follow.
Station readings, morning of 5 November
| Station | AQI | Band |
|---|---|---|
| Jahangirpuri | 459–460 | Severe |
| Nauroji Nagar Ring Road | 416 | Severe |
| Near AIIMS | 402 | Severe |
| India Gate | 399 | Very poor (2 points below severe) |
| ITO | 397 | Very poor |
| Anand Vihar | 296 | Poor |
Also read:
FAQ
Q: Is Delhi’s air "severe" or "very poor" today?
A: Both, depending on where you stand. India Gate was 399 (very poor), but several stations crossed 400 into severe. The city average sat in the very-poor band.
Q: Are schools closed under GRAP Stage 2?
A: No. Stage 2 does not order school closures. Classes run normally unless a separate government order says otherwise.
Q: When can I burst green crackers in Delhi?
A: Only on 7 and 8 November, from 6–7 am and 8–10 pm. Sale runs 4–6 November. The full ban returns on 9 November.
Sources
- Outlook India, 5 Nov 2026
- ABP Live, 5 Nov 2026
- The Economic Times, 5 Nov 2026
- Times of India, 5 Nov 2026
- The Indian Express, 4 Nov 2026
Sasanka Sekhar Pradhan is the founder of India Presents, an India-focused news site. He covers daily box-office trackers, India news, economy explainers, sports previews and festival guides — in simple English, so readers across India can follow fast-moving stories without jargon. His focus is what a story means for the reader: the number that matters, the source behind it, and what happens next. India Presents publishes daily, with day-trackers updated as new figures come in.
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