Delhi’s “fresh start” to the week is anything but fresh. As of Monday morning, December 29, 2025, the national capital is officially back in the ‘Severe’ zone. The city’s average AQI has hit 402, and the visibility is so bad that the airport is basically on life support.
The thing is, we were just getting used to things opening up again. Or nothing. Let’s be real, the smog is so thick today that you can’t even see the car in front of you, let alone the “improvement” the authorities were talking about last week. Those too.
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The Current “Choke” Points
More than half of the city’s monitoring stations are screaming red right now.
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The Worst Offenders: Vivek Vihar in East Delhi is at the top of the leaderboard with an AQI of 458. Anand Vihar isn’t far behind at 459.
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Flight Chaos: Visibility at IGI Airport dropped to a measly 50 meters. Nearly 65% of flights are delayed or diverted. If you’re traveling, check your status before you leave the house—CAT III landing protocols are in full effect.
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Train Delays: Even the “priority” trains like Rajdhani and Vande Bharat are crawling into New Delhi station hours behind schedule.
The GRAP Confusion
And here’s the kicker: authorities actually revoked GRAP Stage-IV just a few days ago (Dec 24). Today, as the air hits 402, schools for Classes 6-9 and 11 were supposed to go back to full physical classes.
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| Class Category | Current Status (Dec 29) |
| Nursery to Class 5 | Hybrid Mode (Physical + Online) |
| Class 6 to 9 & 11 | Mandatory Physical Classes (as of today) |
| Class 10 & 12 | Offline Only (Pre-boards ongoing) |
It’s an ongoing situation where the “return to normal” feels a bit premature. With an Orange Alert for dense fog and northwesterly winds slowing to a crawl (below 15 kmph), the pollutants aren’t going anywhere.
The Weather Trap
The IMD says the temperature will hover between 7°C and 23°C. 100% humidity is acting like a glue for the smoke, and the forecast for the next three days stays firmly in the ‘Very Poor’ to ‘Severe’ band.
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