Delhi welcomes BRICS leaders with cleaner air as AQI drops to 62
Delhi is hosting some of the world's biggest leaders this weekend. And as the BRICS Summit gets underway, the capital has something else going for it: cleaner air.
At around 4 pm on September 12, the lowest AQI reading recorded for Delhi stood at 62, placing it in the moderate range, according to AQI.in, an air quality and weather monitoring platform. Prime Minister Narendra Modi receives Russian President Vladimir Putin before the 18th BRICS Summit. (Photo: PTI)
The improvement comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other BRICS leaders arrive in the capital for the two-day summit.
The cleaner air is particularly something to pay attention to because Delhi's pollution levels had been higher earlier this week.
The city's official AQI stood at 133 on September 10, in the moderate category, and had even touched 155 in the early hours of Friday, September 11. (Source: AQI.in) WHAT CLEANED DELHI'S AIR?
The question that now arises is what cleaned Delhi's infamous air, and the simple answer is the weather.
Delhi has been seeing rain and cloudy conditions in recent days as an active monsoon spell affects the region.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had forecast generally cloudy skies with moderate rain in the capital on September 12, with the wet spell expected to continue over the next few days. Rain clouds cover the skyline above the Raisina Hill on a rainy evening, in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI) Rain can temporarily improve air quality by removing some suspended particles from the atmosphere.
When raindrops fall through the air, they can pull down dust and pollution particles with them. Changing winds and atmospheric conditions can also help disperse pollutants instead of allowing them to build up close to the ground.
That is rather crucial in Delhi, where traffic, construction activity, road dust and other sources continuously add pollutants to the air.#WATCH | Delhi: Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives at Bharat Mandapam - the venue for BRICS Summit 2026.(Video: DD News) pic.twitter.com/LKgDoN3mLv— ANI (@ANI) September 12, 2026
Fortunately, the current weather pattern is part of a wider monsoon spell as a low-pressure area over the northwest and west-central Bay of Bengal is influencing rainfall across parts of northern and central India, including Delhi.
The BRICS summit has, either by luck or by design, chosen a clean 2-day window for discussing and working on world affairs.NOT A PERMANENT FIX
The improvement, however, should not be mistaken for a lasting solution to Delhi's pollution problem.
Rain can give the city's air a temporary reset, but pollution levels can rise again when conditions turn dry, winds weaken and pollutants begin accumulating near the surface.
For now, though, the timing could hardly be better.MESMERIZING view! Bharat Mandapam is all set to host the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, with 11 nations, including Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, coming together.PM Modi is set to hold separate meetings with both leaders. pic.twitter.com/ccLC55su7o— Avinash K S (@AvinashKS14) September 10, 2026
As Delhi hosts the 18th BRICS Summit on September 12 and 13, the capital is getting a brief break from the pollution that has long been part of its identity.
The summit's focus may be global diplomacy, trade and geopolitics. But for visitors and global leaders stepping into the city this weekend, the cleaner air is an unexpected bonus.- EndsPublished By: Aryan Published On: Sep 12, 2026 16:38 IST
