It’s Saturday morning, January 31, 2026, and if the smog outside your window looks a little less “apocalyptic” than usual, there’s actually data to back that up. We just wrapped up the second-best January for air quality in Delhi since 2022.
The thing is, “second-best” in Delhi still means we spent half the month breathing “Very Poor” air. Or nothing.
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The January 2026 Air Audit: Field Notes
It’s an ongoing situation where we’re constantly comparing our lungs to previous years. Here’s the ground reality of the CREA (Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air) analysis:
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The Average Dip: The average AQI until yesterday was 307. Last year, it was 306. We basically missed out on being the “cleanest” by a single point. Let’s be real—it’s a tie, but those two “Severe” days we had earlier this month dragged the average up. Those too.
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The “Silver Lining” Weather: Right now (7:00 AM today), the AQI is sitting at 271—which is technically “Poor” but a huge relief from the 400+ we usually see. And here’s the kicker: the IMD has issued a Yellow Alert for light rain and thunderstorms later tonight. Rain is basically Delhi’s only natural air purifier.
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The Comparison Game: In 2022, January was a dream (by our standards) with an average of 279. This year, we had 14 “Very Poor” days and 12 “Poor” days. No “Good” or “Satisfactory” days. Not a single one. It’s a “glass half full” situation where the glass is filled with PM2.5.
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Neighbourhood Watch: Some spots are still struggling. Anand Vihar and Mundka are both clocking in over 330 this morning. If you’re in those areas, it’s still very much N95 mask territory. Or nothing.
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January Air Quality: 2025 vs. 2026
| AQI Category | January 2025 (Days) | January 2026 (Days) |
| Moderate (101-200) | 2 | 2 |
| Poor (201-300) | 13 | 12 |
| Very Poor (301-400) | 16 | 14 |
| Severe (401-500) | 0 | 2 |
| Average AQI | 306 | 307 |
And Here’s the Kicker…
The Air Quality Early Warning System was predicting a “Very Poor” day today, but the unexpected wind and pending rain might actually save us. The thing is, even a “good” January in Delhi is roughly equivalent to smoking 9 cigarettes a day, according to a recent health analysis. Those too.
One side comment—the Union Budget is tomorrow (Feb 1). Keep an eye out for whether the government puts more money into the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) or if we’re just going to keep praying for rain every winter. It’s an ongoing situation. Or nothing.
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End…
