Delhi Pre-Deepavali Pollution Reaches Three-Year High, CSE Analysis Finds

Delhi’s average PM2.5 concentration in the week before Deepavali reached 236 micrograms per cubic metre in 2026, the highest level in three years, according to an analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment. The figure was 97% higher than in 2025 and 32% higher than in 2024. The CSE analysis said emergency traffic restrictions failed to ease congestion. Evening gridlock trapped nitrogen dioxide, a marker of vehicle pollution, until midnight. The analysis found traffic played a major role in the pollution surge, while farm fires made a smaller contribution.