Delhi residents faced another suffocating morning on October 28, 2025, as thick haze blanketed the city under overcast skies, pushing the Air Quality Index to a stubborn 305 in the 'very poor' category, per Central Pollution Control Board data. Monday's 24-hour average stood at 301 by 4 pm, with 27 of 38 monitoring stations exceeding 300. Siri Fort topped the charts at 351, followed closely by Wazirpur at 342, where PM2.5 levels spiked to dangerous highs, trapping residents in a toxic soup.

The India Meteorological Department recorded a minimum temperature of 20°C, 3.9 degrees above normal, with humidity at 95% by 8:30 am, locking pollutants in a low inversion layer. Neighboring NCR cities mirrored the crisis. Noida hit 363, Ghaziabad 321, Greater Noida 288, Gurugram 244, and Faridabad 198. This regional smog surge stems from stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, contributing up to 40% of Delhi's pollution, worsened by Diwali fireworks that drove AQI to a three-year peak of 451 on October 21.

GRAP Stage II curbs, enforced since October 20, ban coal in power plants, restrict diesel generators, and mandate 50% work-from-home, yet ground-level compliance remains patchy. Only 30% of major roads see water sprinkling or anti-smog guns. Health warnings escalate as hospitals report a 25% rise in respiratory cases since Diwali, with doctors urging N95 masks, indoor air purifiers, and avoiding outdoor activity between noon and 6 pm, especially for children and seniors.

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The AAP government faces criticism over alleged data gaps, with 28 stations offline during Diwali night, hiding spikes above 900 in areas like Aya Nagar and Chandni Chowk. Hope flickers with IMD forecasting light rain from a western disturbance by October 29, alongside a planned cloud-seeding trial in Burari to wash out toxins. Still, experts stress long-term fixes, electric buses, stricter farm laws, and industrial emission controls, to break Delhi's annual winter chokehold.

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