Delhi records most polluted July in seven years despite heavy monsoon rains
Delhi's average Air Quality Index (AQI) for July 2026 was 119, the highest monthly average for the month since 2019 (when it was 134) and a sharp rise from 78 in July 2025. The city logged one "good" AQI day at 48, the first such reading in nine years, and saw a peak AQI of 261, the highest July maximum in five years.
The capital experienced 15 moderate, 12 satisfactory and one good air‑quality days, with no "very poor" days. Despite this pollution spike, monsoon rainfall was well above normal; Safdarjung station recorded 254.7 mm of rain, 26% higher than the usual 201.9 mm, and overall rainfall totals were 7–51% above seasonal norms. July also brought the warmest average day and night temperatures for Delhi in two years.
Experts attribute the high AQI to brief, intense rain bursts that failed to cleanse the atmosphere fully, dust storms from Central Asia, and trans‑border dust plumes, which kept particulate matter suspended despite the excess rainfall.
Entities: Central Asia dust storms · Central Pollution Control Board · Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air · Delhi · Safdarjung weather station
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] July 2026 AQI increased from 78 in July 2025. (CPCB data comparison in all three articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The peak AQI in July 2026 reached 261, the highest July maximum in five years. (CPCB daily AQI data reported by all three articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Safdarjung weather station recorded 254.7 mm of rainfall in July, 26% above the normal 201.9 mm. (Rainfall observations cited in all three articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The July 2026 average AQI of 119 is the highest since July 2019, when the AQI was 134. (Comparative AQI records cited in all three articles)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Dust storms from Central Asia on July 12‑13 raised Delhi's AQI to 261. (Environmental analysis in article 940c9d44-6e4c-4a14-8fc9-aaa938793cdc)
- [● 3 SOURCES] July 2026 was the warmest July for Delhi in two years, with the highest average day and night temperatures. (Temperature data cited in all three articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Delhi recorded a 'good' AQI day at 48, the first such reading in nine years. (CPCB daily AQI records cited in all three articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Delhi's average AQI for July 2026 was 119. (Central Pollution Control Board data reported by all three articles)