Delhi recorded 211 days of good, satisfactory or moderate air quality by 17 October 2026, marking a significant improvement over recent years even as the city government warned that winter could bring a renewed pollution challenge.
The figures were cited by Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who attributed the improvement to measures taken by the Rekha Gupta government to control pollution. The minister said the more difficult test would come during winter, when low wind speeds and other adverse weather conditions can allow pollutants to accumulate over the city.
According to the report, Delhi’s 211 days in the good-to-moderate air-quality categories represent the best performance since 2016, excluding the exceptional conditions recorded during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. In 2016, the city had recorded only 110 days in these categories.
The number of days classified as poor, very poor or severe also fell from 168 during the comparable period in 2016 to 79 in 2026, the minister said. The figures cover the period up to 17 October and come before the season in which Delhi typically faces more difficult dispersion conditions.
The government has linked the improvement to a range of measures operating across roads, construction sites, industry, waste management and public transport. These include mechanised road sweeping, water sprinkling, the deployment of anti-smog guns, road redevelopment and improvement works, and dust-control measures at construction and demolition sites.
Other actions cited by the minister include closer monitoring of industrial emissions, preventing open waste burning and expanding electric public transport. An artificial intelligence-based Integrated Command and Control Centre has also been established to support real-time pollution monitoring, coordination between agencies, complaint resolution and targeted enforcement.
The government has prepared a winter action plan and preventive protocols for pollution control. Sirsa appealed to residents, industrial units, institutions, government offices and commercial establishments to follow the winter pollution-control protocols, while also seeking cooperation from neighbouring states.
The data indicates that Delhi’s air-quality performance has improved compared with 2016, but the next phase will test whether the measures can hold during winter’s unfavourable meteorological conditions. The government is expected to implement its winter action plan and pollution-control protocols as the season advances.
