By: Express News ServiceNew Delhi | Updated: December 28, 2025 08:39 AM IST 3 min readDelhi’s air quality index (AQI) inched closer to the ‘Severe’ category on Saturday, with the average AQI rising from 333 on Friday to 385, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).The country’s most polluted cities were all located in the National Capital Region (NCR) on Saturday. Noida topped the list, slipping into the ‘Severe’ category with an AQI of 409, up from 376 a day earlier, followed by Ghaziabad at 404 and Greater Noida at 395. With an AQI of 385, Delhi ranked fourth among the most polluted cities.Gurgaon, however, saw a marginal improvement, with the AQI easing from 312 on Friday to 299 on Saturday.Earlier this week, the air quality had improved slightly in the Capital and nearby cities due to strong and sustained winds.Data from Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) Pune’s Decision Support System (DSS) showed that transport emissions remained the top contributor to Delhi’s PM2.5 load at 16.22%, followed by the industrial sector at 8.4%. Residential emissions accounted for around 4%, while waste burning, construction activity and road dust together contributed about 5%. Among neighbouring regions, Jhajjar emerged as the highest external contributor at 17.59%, followed by Sonipat at 5.8% and Rohtak at 4.6%.With no significant meteorological conditions to likely improve dispersion of pollutants, the IITM has forecast that Delhi’s air quality is likely to remain in the ‘Very Poor’ category through December 30, with a similar outlook for the next six days.Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 22.2 degrees Celsius on Saturday, 1.8 degrees above normal, while the minimum settled at 7.8 degrees Celsius, slightly below seasonal average, the IMD said.Story continues below this adThe minimum temperature is expected to remain near normal over the next two days, and rise gradually thereafter. Maximum temperatureis likely to remain above normal throughout the period.The IMD has warned of moderate to dense fog during morning Sunday, followed by shallow to moderate fog on subsequent days.The IITM has projected the maximum mixing height — the height at which the pollutants can disperse — to reduce to about 700 metresfrom the current around 850 metres by December 30. The ventilation index, which is a key indicator of dispersion, is forecast to remain below 6,000 m²/s through December 30, ranging between 3,000 m²/s and 5,000 m²/s. Such conditions, coupled with average wind speeds remaining below 10 kmph, are considered unfavourable for pollutant dispersion.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:AQI