Delhi air pollution crosses 400 AQI mark; Gurugram mandates 50% work-from-home and construction bans

The air quality in Delhi-NCR dropped to the dangerous level of 'Severe' on Wednesday, as the AQI reached more than 400 at over 15 locations. As a response to the severe increase in smog, the Gurugram district authorities ordered public and private offices to adopt a compulsory 50% work-from-home policy starting from November 5 up to November 20.

Gurugram introduces a work-from-home policy and starts working infrastructure restrictions

The technology hub of Gurugram introduced emergency measures to reduce pollution levels caused by commuters and dust.

Workplace capacity regulation: Private companies and public offices need to minimize the number of people working on the premises to only 50% of the required number and transfer workers to remote work. Companies are required to register daily attendance records for administrative oversight.

Stopping all construction and demolition activities: All road construction, development of highways and flyovers, layering of pipelines and other construction activities will be suspended during November 5-20.

Exceptions: Energy infrastructure maintenance, emergency operations, and utility services users are exempt from the work-from-home requirement if they comply with special requirements of dust suppression.

Monitoring agencies will carry out daily inspections. Any violation will lead to prosecution under Section 14 of the CAQM Act of 2021.

Delhi AQI exceeds 400 all around the monitoring stations

The data released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) indicates that the high level of smog was caused by toxic particulate matter in the air over the capital city on Wednesday morning.

The results show hazardous AQI levels in the major urban centers:

Station Name    Locational AQI    Category

• Punjabi Bagh    447    Severe
• Jahagir Puri    447    Severe
• IIT Delhi    438    Severe
• Mundka    436    Severe
• Rohini    433    Severe
• DTU    432    Severe
• RK Puram    417    Severe
• ITO    414    Severe

Dual action: CAQM guidelines and Delhi winter action plan

Authorities are coordinating restrictions through the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and Delhi's localized Winter Pollution Action Plan.

While GRAP Stage 2 guidelines mandate enhanced mechanical sweeping and water sprinkling, Delhi's separate Winter Action Plan strictly bans dust-generating civil construction and open demolition work from November 1, 2026, through January 31, 2027.

Concurrently, CAQM's latest 15-day directive halts targeted high-emission construction activities across the entire NCR footprint to prevent air quality from deteriorating further into the 'Severe Plus' tier.

ALSO READ | 2026 US midterm election results: Polls close across 25 states as key Senate and Governor contests unfold