Delhi’s Poisonous Smog Disaster: Air High quality Panel Raises Alarm Over Negligence and Mud Ranges

The Fee for Air High quality Administration in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) on Sunday (December 14, 2025) pulled up the Delhi Improvement Authority (DDA) over “evident gaps” and “recurring negligence” within the maintenance of roads within the metropolis.

It mentioned flying squads inspected 136 street stretches maintained by the DDA. Out of them, 15 confirmed excessive ranges of seen mud, 38 recorded reasonable mud ranges, 61 had low mud depth, and 22 had been discovered to haven’t any seen mud.

The squads additionally discovered accumulation of municipal stable waste (MSW) on 55 stretches, development and demolition waste on 53 stretches, and open burning of MSW or biomass on six stretches.

Mud air pollution is without doubt one of the main sources of air air pollution in Delhi.

The CAQM acknowledged that these “observations clearly point out evident gaps and recurring negligence within the maintenance of the stretches involved”.

It added that the DDA wants to boost its “operational effectivity” and take immediate corrective measures via “constant and well timed mud mitigation interventions”.

“The company additionally must ship improved compliance throughout all street stretches for MSW/biomass burning,” it acknowledged.

AQI hits 461

In the meantime, air high quality within the nationwide capital on Sunday (December 14) deteriorated with a 24-hour common air high quality index (AQI) of 461 at 4 p.m., the very best worth recorded this season, in line with the Central Air pollution Management Board (CPCB).

It worsened farther from the 431 (‘extreme’) recorded a day earlier and is probably going to enhance barely to the ‘very poor’ class on Monday, the CPCB’s each day official bulletin acknowledged.

AQI within the vary of 51-100 is termed ‘passable’, 101-200 is deemed ‘reasonable’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’, 401-450 ‘extreme’, and 451-500 ‘extreme plus’, in line with the CAQM.

Air high quality in a number of different cities of north India, together with Bahadurgarh in Haryana, and Ghaziabad and Noida in Uttar Pradesh, had been within the ‘extreme plus’ class. Baghpat and Higher Noida in Uttar Pradesh recorded air high quality within the ‘extreme’ class.

“Air high quality is more likely to be within the ‘very poor’ class from Monday to Wednesday and the next six days,” the Centre’s Air High quality Early Warning System for Delhi acknowledged.