Delhi's air quality stayed in the 'very poor' range on Friday morning, January 16, 2026. The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 346 at 7 a.m., according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Many locations in Delhi showed AQI levels above 350, including Anand Vihar (354), Ashok Vihar (367), ITO (362), and RK Puram (374). Other areas like Patparganj (372), Wazirpur (374), Chandni Chowk (370), and Dwarka Sector 8 (369) also reported high pollution levels. The AQI scale defines readings from 301 to 400 as 'very poor,' indicating severe health risks. Along with pollution, Delhi is facing a cold wave with temperatures dropping to 5.4 degrees Celsius, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Northern and eastern India airports experienced very low visibility due to dense to very dense fog early Friday. Visibility at airports in Amritsar, Adampur, Chandigarh, Pathankot, Hindon, and Saharanpur dropped to zero meters. This dense fog has caused serious travel delays and disruptions in air and road transport. In Delhi, Palam airport reported 800 meters of visibility and Safdarjung 700 meters under shallow fog conditions. Other places also saw moderate to dense fog, including Varanasi and Jammu with 200 meters visibility, and Rajahmundry at 350 meters. Kanpur and Gorakhpur saw slight improvement, each around 400 meters visibility. The day before, Delhi's AQI was 352 at 8 a.m., also in the 'very poor' category, showing no significant improvement in air quality.