The apex court said it will look into easing GRAP-4 measures after the Centre for Air Quality Management (CAQM) claimed that the air quality in Delhi had 'improved' in the last few days.

Delhi’s air quality has deteriorated to severe levels, forcing Noida schools to operate online until November 27. The District Inspector of Schools confirmed the suspension of physical classes due to hazardous AQI readings.

PM IST Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: Due to the persistently bad air quality, the Gautam Buddh Nagar District Magistrate said on Saturday that all of the district's schools will remain closed until November 25.

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.

Unhealthy

The toxic smog shrouding New Delhi this week was so bad that the capital’s chief minister declared a “medical emergency.”

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.

With the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) reading 422 at 6 AM on Saturday, Delhi was once again engulfed in a dense layer of poisonous haze as the air quality fell into the "Severe" category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB),

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

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