CJP’s Parliament march loses its script at Jantar Mantar, splinters into scattered protests
Student groups and Opposition workers formed a sizeable crowd, but the promised procession towards Parliament never emerged as one organised march.
Delhi’s monsoon season has brought a welcome respite from pollution, with the city’s average AQI falling from 109 in 2018 to 91 in 202, the second-best level recorded in the past eight years.
According to an official document, Delhi’s average AQI remained at 91 for two consecutive years, 2024 and 2025. Air quality has shown gradual improvement since 2018, with a sharp dip to 88 in 2020 during the pandemic lockdowns.
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The city recorded average AQIs of 109 in 2018, 106 in 2019, 88 in 2020, 99 in 2021, 95 in 2022, 103 in 2023, and 91 in both 2024 and 2025.
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Similar trends were observed during the first nine months of 2025, when Delhi recorded an average AQI of 164 from January to September. While higher than the pandemic years, when the figure was 144, this still reflects an improvement compared with pre-pandemic levels.
The Union Environment Ministry attributed the gains to favourable meteorological conditions as well as coordinated efforts by multiple stakeholders.
From January to September 2025, Delhi reported no days in the ‘Severe’ or ‘Severe+’ AQI categories — a notable achievement.
The city also witnessed 75 ‘Satisfactory’ air-quality days, the highest in recent years, compared with 66 in 2024, 59 in 2023, and 61–69 in the period 2018–2022 (with 95 in 2020 during the lockdown).
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