Delhi`s air quality slipped back to the `severe` category on Saturday morning with an AQI of 420 while the minimum temperature was recorded at 11.4 degrees Celsius. Out of 38 monitoring stations, nine recorded air quality in the `severe plus` category with AQI exceeding 450.

At 6 am on Saturday, the CPCB recorded Delhi’s AQI at 419, which placed it back in the ‘severe’ category.

Whatever the causes of the smog, by one ranking Delhi was not just the most polluted city in the world, but “nearly five times as bad as the second most polluted city, Dhaka,” in Bangladesh next door, as Shashi Tharoor, a leader of the opposition in Parliament and best-selling author, posted on X.

Due to rising pollution levels, schools in various cities such as Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram have been shut down, and online classes are now being conducted.

An official of the Commission for Air Quality Management said that the dense fog, which was previously uncommon in this period, has severely impacted air quality, exacerbating the pollution crisis in Delhi and the National Capital Region.

NCR, the Railway Board has introduced staggered work hours for employees, following a government directive. Carpooling is encouraged. With air quality hitting severe levels, measures aim to maintain productivity and efficiency while addressing the environmental health crisis.

India's capital city of Delhi has virtually shut down as air pollution hit "severe plus" levels, according to Indian government officials in its pollution control authority.

Delhi faced a severe environmental crisis as the AQI hit hazardous levels in multiple areas. In response, the Delhi Police enforced vehicle checks and a ban on older diesel vehicles to combat air pollution,