VARANASI: The Central Pollution Control Board's bulletin for Saturday, November 7, 2026, puts Varanasi's air quality index at 175, with all four monitoring stations contributing. The new figure, issued for 4 pm IST, is 37 points above the November 5 reading of 138, as reported earlier on dalimss.news. The city remains in the Moderate category.

For residents planning morning journeys around Lanka, Cantt and the riverfront on Sunday, pollution and visibility need separate checks. The India Meteorological Department's November 7 forecast also includes isolated shallow morning fog in eastern Uttar Pradesh on November 8 and 9. Neither document supplies a separate reading or fog prediction for each of those Varanasi localities.

Residents with asthma, other lung conditions or heart disease should take the Moderate category's health statement seriously when planning outdoor exposure. Before leaving, check the current station information and the latest local weather forecast. The 175 figure describes the preceding 24 hours at Saturday's reporting time, rather than air conditions measured on Sunday morning.

What the November 7 air reading says

The official November 7 bulletin identifies PM10 as Varanasi's prominent pollutant and lists station participation as four out of four. Its Moderate band runs from 101 to 200. The bulletin associates that band with possible breathing discomfort among people with lung disease, asthma and heart disease.

  • Reporting time: November 7, 2026, 4 pm IST.
  • City AQI: 175.
  • Category: Moderate.
  • Prominent pollutant: PM10.
  • Participating stations: four of four.
  • Reporting period: average of the preceding 24 hours.

The number is an index value, not a PM10 concentration. The board's calculation guidance explains that individual pollutant concentrations are converted into subindices using health related breakpoints. The highest pollutant subindex determines the AQI at a monitoring location. A prominent pollutant entry does not establish which activity produced the pollution.

That distinction is particularly relevant when interpreting a festival period reading. The November 7 city row does not apportion pollution among fireworks, dust, combustion or other sources. It therefore cannot establish how much any one source contributed. Saturday's bulletin also predates Sunday evening, so it cannot be presented as a measurement of pollution after that evening's celebrations.

What residents should do

Use the city number as a broad indicator, then consult the board's live air quality services for the monitoring location relevant to a journey or outdoor activity. The bulletin itself cautions that readings vary across locations. It uses a city average for simplicity and explicitly notes the limitations of that approach.

Four reporting stations do not mean every neighbourhood had an AQI of 175. Nor does full participation remove differences between locations. For someone deciding when to spend time outside, the timestamp and the nearby station's reading matter alongside the category. Earlier city coverage of the November 4 AQI of 134 provides dated context, rather than a substitute for a fresh check.

The board's methodology also explains why a real time display can differ from a daily bulletin. Its automated system uses running averages: a reading displayed at a particular hour incorporates preceding hours of monitoring. An overall station AQI needs sufficient observations for at least three pollutants, including either PM10 or PM2.5. The guidance specifies at least 16 hours of data for calculating a pollutant subindex.

Morning fog and the forecast ahead

The IMD state bulletin issued at 3 pm IST on November 7 forecasts dry weather across eastern Uttar Pradesh through November 13. It includes isolated shallow morning fog for November 7, 8 and 9, followed by dry forecasts without that fog wording for November 10 to 13. Each forecast day runs from 8.30 am IST to 8.30 am the following day.

No weather warning is listed for the eastern division across those seven days. The temperature outlook anticipates no major change in maximum or minimum temperatures. These are regional forecasts, so they should not be converted into an exact visibility distance, a neighbourhood temperature or a guaranteed fog free departure time for Varanasi.

IMD also records dry weather during the preceding 24 hours in both eastern and western Uttar Pradesh, with isolated shallow morning fog observed in each division. Its assessment places November 7 minimum temperatures in the Varanasi division above normal, with departures between 1.6 and 3 degrees Celsius. That division includes Varanasi, Chandauli, Ghazipur and Jaunpur; the range is a divisional assessment rather than a separate temperature reading for Lanka or Cantt.

The new bulletin updates the period covered by the site's earlier dry outlook through November 11. For Sunday plans, check both services again: IMD for visibility and weather, and the pollution board for the latest air reading. Dry weather alone does not establish that air quality has improved.