While AQI has marginally improved, the city continued to remain covered in dense smog in the early hours of the day

Several areas in Delhi continue to remain in the 'severe' category for air pollution, with notable pollution levels recorded in Ashok Vihar (316), Anand Vihar (311), ITO (316), Wazirpur (331), Vivek Vihar (318),

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality in Delhi remained in the 'severe' category on Wednesday. The air quality in Delhi was classified as 'very poor' with an AQI of 301 according to the CPCB's measurement on Wednesday at 7am.

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.

At 6 am, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recorded an AQI of Anand Vihar at 316, Ashok Vihar at 316, Bawana at 343, and Jahangirpuri at 330.

The AQI in Delhi has reached 394, placing it in the very poor category. Contributing factors include stagnant winds and low temperatures, leading to a hazardous air quality level that has prompted stricter pollution control measures.

Strong surface winds (at speeds of 15km/hr) that had helped disperse pollutants on Sunday, dropped to near-calm levels of 4-6km/hr by Monday morning, leading to a haze engulfing the city again. Delhi’s 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 285 (“poor”) at 9am on Monday,