Updated 1 June 2026 at 20:03 IST
Delhi recorded an average AQI of 211 from January to May 2026, marking its cleanest air in eight years due to active weather patterns and strict emission controls.
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ANI Delhi’s air has given residents a rare reason to breathe a sigh of relief. Between January and May 2026, the national capital registered its lowest average Air Quality Index (AQI) in eight years, excluding the anomalous, lockdown-hit year of 2020.
According to official data from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), the city’s average AQI for the first five months of 2026 dropped to 211. What exactly triggered this welcome shift in a city infamous for its heavy smog?
The Metrics Behind the Clearer Skies
A major factor in this improvement was the significant rise in breathable days. The capital experienced a healthier stretch of weather, logging fewer industrial emissions alongside favorable atmospheric conditions.
In a statement shared on X, the CAQM noted:
“Delhi recorded 75 ‘Good to Moderate’ AQI days during January-May of 2026, as against 70 in 2025, 75 in 2024, 74 in 2023, 37 in 2022, 59 in 2021, 98 in 2020, 59 in 2019 and 44 in 2018 respectively, during the corresponding period.”
To see how this year stacks up against almost a decade of air monitoring, look at the steady multi-year trajectory for the January–May average AQI block:
Year
January–May Average AQI
2026
211
2025
214
2024
231
2023
213
2022
238
2021
235
2020
181 (Pandemic lockdown)
2019
237
2018
243
A May of Meteorological Extremes
The month of May 2026 exemplified these contrasting conditions perfectly, presenting a bizarre mix of intense heat and unprecedentedly clean air. While residents endured a scorching summer, they simultaneously benefited from the second-lowest May AQI recorded in eight years, averaging 157. The only cleaner May periods occurred during 2020 and 2021.
For context, May AQI figures from prev
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