At 9 am, an AQI of 318 was recorded in the capital and it is the second most polluted place in India, behind Haryana's Jind, where the AQI stood at 322.

A thick layer of fog was seen in Anand Vihar, Kalkaji, Nehru Place, and Akshardham Temple localities among other places in the national capital, as the city's air quality dropped to 385 at 8 am today.

While air quality in Anand Vihar slipped into the "severe" category, the AQI remained "very poor" in areas like Bawana, Dwarka, Jahangirpuri, Rohini, DTU, IGI Airport (T3), ITO, Mundka, Narela, Patparganj, Rohini, Shadipur, Sonia Vihar, Wazirpur, Alipur, Ashok Vihar, Aya Nagar, Burari, Mandir Marg and Mundka.

During the winter months, Delhi experiences severe pollution, driven by a combination of factors, such as low wind speeds, dropping temperatures, high moisture levels and the presence of pollution particles that act as surfaces for condensation.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) and IIT Madras (IITM) predicted that Delhi's air quality could remain in the 'very poor' category between 301-400 in the coming days. IMD and IITM said this could be due to the unfavourable meteorological and climatic conditions as well as calm winds.

Delhi's air quality worsens, with AQI at 385, prompting implementation of GRAP-II to combat pollution effectively.

The second stage of the Graded Response Action Plan has been implemented in the national capital, banning the use of coal and firewood.

Vehicular emissions top cause of air pollution, but stubble burning in neighbouring states aggravates the situation

National capital's average air quality on Monday slipped into the 'very poor' category for the first time in the season, as the residents of the city woke up to a hazy morning with smog also visible at some places.