Overview
- The Commission for Air Quality Management, which posted its figures on Sunday, reported an average AQI of 211 for January–May 2026, the lowest for that period since 2018 when excluding the pandemic year 2020.
- CAQM said May 2026’s monthly average AQI was 157, the lowest May reading in the eight-year span aside from 2020–21, and that Delhi recorded 75 days of ‘Good to Moderate’ air during January–May.
- The agency published year‑by‑year January–May AQI comparisons showing steady improvement from 2024–25 levels and placing 2026 below recent pre‑pandemic years.
- Officials pointed to tighter industrial monitoring, better dust controls at construction sites, action on open burning, and cleaner fuel pushes as likely contributors while experts warned that weather patterns also affected readings and that direct causation is not proven.
- For residents this means more lower‑risk air days in early 2026, but seasonal factors such as transport, industry emissions, construction dust and regional crop‑burning remain risks that could reverse gains without sustained policy and regional coordination.