Delhi's air quality remains severe due to unfavourable weather conditions, stubble burning
New Delhi, Nov 11 : Delhi's air quality remained in the "severe" category on Sunday owing to unfavourable weather conditions and a significant increase in contribution from stubble burning, authorities said.
The overall air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 423, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board.
The city's air quality was recorded in the "very poor" category on Saturday morning, but it again slipped to the severe level in the evening.
On Sunday, the PM2.5 (particles in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres) level was recorded at 299, while the PM10 (particles in the air with a diameter of less than 10 micrometres) level was recorded at 477, according to data from the CPCB.
Twenty-eight areas in Delhi recorded air quality in the "severe" category, while seven areas recorded "very poor" air quality, according to the CPCB.
An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".
According to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, the increase in PM2.5 concentration is due to stable meteorological conditions trapping of the pollutants in Delhi (very less dispersion) and significant increase in contribution from stubble burning.
Stubble burning in neighbouring states of Delhi on Thursday was the "largest-ever recorded" this year, the IITM had said Friday, adding that it could lead to a further deterioration in the already "severe" air quality of the national capital.
It said about 2,100 fire counts were observed on Thursday over north western region of India.
Delhi's air quality has remained in the "severe" category for the past two days with the highest pollution level of the year recorded a day after Diwali on Thursday at an AQI of 642.
The Environment Pollution Control Authority has asked the departments concerned to extend the ban on construction activities, industries using coal and biomass and entry of trucks till November 12 in view of the situation.
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Hezbollah leader vows not to disarm, criticises Lebanese government’s move
Beirut: Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Kassem on Friday (August 15, 2025) vowed that the Iran-backed group would not lay down its weapons, criticising the Lebanese government’s recent decision to disarm the group by the end of the year, according to a report published by The Hindu. Speaking during a televised address marking a Shiite religious event, Kassem said the move “serves Israel’s interests” and endangers the lives of “resistance fighters and their families.”
Kassem argued that the government should instead have “spread its authority and evicted Israel from Lebanon,” adding that it is “serving the Israeli project.” He warned that if the ongoing crisis escalates into internal conflict, the government would be responsible. While Hezbollah and its Shiite ally, the Amal movement, have not yet called for street protests, Kassem cautioned that if such a decision is made, demonstrators “will be all over Lebanon and head to the U.S. embassy.”
Last week, the Lebanese government approved a U.S.-backed plan to disarm Hezbollah and implement a ceasefire with Israel, a move urged by the international community following the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war that ended in November.
Kassem insisted that Hezbollah will only discuss a national defence strategy concerning its weapons once Israel withdraws and halts near-daily airstrikes, which have killed many of its members since the war. “The resistance will not hand over its weapons as the aggression continues and occupation remains,” he said, adding that the group is prepared for a prolonged battle if necessary.
The war has weakened Hezbollah, causing significant loss of life among its leadership, displacing over 1 million people in Lebanon, and inflicting reconstruction costs estimated at $11 billion by the World Bank.
