New Delhi: Early winter air pollution, from Oct to mid-Nov, has worsened in 2026 and emergency traffic curbs put in place by govt are not easing congestion, according to a new Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) analysis.CSE said Delhi’s pre-winter pollution this year was generally higher than in 2025, except for a brief late-Sept drop caused by rain.“Among local sources, transport remains the largest contributor. While the share of stubble smoke rose during this period, severe pollution episodes continued even when farm fire contributions dropped. Traffic congestion analysis confirms that vehicular emissions heavily drive daily toxic exposure. Furthermore, emergency restrictions barring pre-BS VI vehicles have failed to significantly reduce traffic volumes,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, Research and Advocacy, CSE.The analysis found emergency GRAP measures brought negligible relief to Delhi’s weekday gridlock, failing to flatten rush-hour peaks or restore normal road conditions.“During the restriction week (Nov 2-6), Delhi logged an average daily travel time index (TTI) of 2.4 and an evening peak of 3.49 — virtually identical to the 2.38 daily and 3.48 peak TTI recorded Friday (Oct 30), right before curbs took effect. Commuters still took 13% longer to complete trips compared to standard weekdays from Jan to April 2026, with evening rush hours taking 13 to 31% longer,” said Shubham Srivastava, deputy programme manager, clean air and sustainable mobility, CSE.The hourly congestion pattern during the enforcement week mirrored pre-restriction levels: morning peaks were 1% slower, evening peaks stayed flat and the planning time index (PTI) for evening commutes improved only marginally, from 6.36 to 6.16. Across weekdays, congestion ranged from 7% above normal Friday (Nov 6 – Dhanteras) to 17% above normal Tuesday and Wednesday (Nov 3-4). Rather than clearing the roads, the rules merely prevented the pre-festive rush from worsening, said CSE.By contrast, weekends saw traffic drop, though driven only partly by vehicle rules. While Saturday (Oct 31 – pre-curbs) surged 22% above routine weekend traffic (and 37% in the evening), both weekend days under restrictions fell 8% below baseline. Sunday (Nov 1) reflected the direct impact of the diesel truck entry ban with offices shut, while Saturday, Nov 7 (Chhoti Diwali) saw residents staying indoors or travelling out of the city.As vehicular pollution remains the top local source, evening gridlock traps toxic NO2 (nitrogen dioxide), the marker of vehicular pollution, until midnight. CSE found nearly 80% of NO2 is emitted by vehicles.During the pre-winter period, NO2 has a first peak at 9am and then falls to its lowest at 2pm due to an improvement in atmospheric conditions even though congestion is high. On an hourly basis in this period, NO2 rose sharply during the evening rush and remained elevated through midnight — persisting for hours after road traffic had dispersed.“In effect, the evening rush loads the air and the still night air keeps it there. Daily NO2 concentrations surged by one-third starting Nov 2, even as traffic congestion remained flat,” said Sharanjeet Kaur, deputy programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE.
