Delhi AQI drops to 185 after 3 days of poor air; toxic foam seen in Yamuna

Delhi’s air quality revealed some enhancement on Saturday early morning, October 24, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) of 185 at 10 am, putting it in the ‘moderate’ classification. The enhancement followed 3 successive days of ‘bad’ air quality.

A thick layer of poisonous foam was likewise seen drifting on the surface area of the Yamuna River near Kalindi Kunj. Visuals shared by ANI from Kalindi Kunj on Saturday early morning revealed a layer of white foam spread throughout the river’s surface area.

#WATCH|Delhi: Toxic foam seen drifting on the surface area of the Yamuna River in Kalindi Kunj today https://t.co/YLLXAwn7If
— ANI (@ANI)October 24, 2026

Pictures shared by PTI revealed hazy conditions throughout Delhi, with structures appearing blurred in the background. The images likewise revealed foam covering parts of the Yamuna’s surface area, highlighting the contamination issues surrounding the river.

PTI PHOTOS|A thick layer of harmful foam covers the Yamuna river surface area in the middle of hazy conditions in New Delhi on October 24. The city’s air quality stayed in the ‘bad’ classification under GRAP Stage I anti-pollution constraints.

(Photos: Salman Ali/PTI) #PTIPhotos #DelhiAQI #DelhiPollution– Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 24, 2026

The sighting comes a day after comparable foam was reported in the location, in spite of the Delhi federal government highlighting its continuous efforts to tidy and renew the Yamuna through tasks worth around 9,000 crore.According to information from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Mundka taped the AQI at 268, followed by R K Puram at 236. Dwarka Sector 8 and Wazirpur both tape-recorded an AQI of 213, while Patparganj stood at 199 and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at 196.Anand Vihar taped an AQI of 185, while Burari stood at 182. Uttam Nagar and Nangloi tape-recorded readings of 170 and 166, respectively.These places stayed in the moderate classification, other than Mundka, Dwarka Sector 8, R K Puram and Wazirpur, which remained in the bad classification.Under Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) requirements, an AQI in between 0 and 50 is categorized as ‘excellent’, 51 to 100 as ‘satisfying’, 101 to 200 as ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 as ‘bad’, 301 to 400 as ‘really bad’, and 401 to 500 as ‘extreme’.A day previously, Delhi NCR enforced Stage 1 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) following a degeneration in air quality to the ‘bad’ classification.According to the CPCB, the AQI near Kalindi Kunj stood at 267 on Friday, while India Gate and the location around AIIMS taped readings of 236 and 255, respectively, with all 3 places falling in the ‘bad’ classification.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) projection thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds at separated locations in Delhi on Saturday and Sunday.Minimum temperature levels in the capital were tape-recorded in between 17 and 18 degrees Celsius over the previous 24 hours, while optimal temperature levels varied from 30 to 32 degrees Celsius.The IMD likewise anticipated an increase of 1– 2 degrees Celsius in optimal temperature levels over the next 48 hours, followed by a fall of 1– 3 degrees Celsius.