As per a report published in a national daily, four stations in Delhi, Anand Vihar, Mandir Marg, RK Puram and Punjabi Bagh recorded a severe warning with their air pollution values on the National Air Quality Index being recorded above 400 (out of a maximum of 500). At Anand Vihar, the Particulate Matter 10 concentration at 8 pm on December 7 was 1,903 migrogramme per cubic metre. This is 19 times more than the prescribed limit.

On December 8, 2015, officials in Beijing ordered schools to close down and has also asked for a halt in the other outdoor construction activities from 7 AM on December 9 to noon on December 10. During this period, cars will be allowed to drive only on alternate days, depending on their license plate numbers. Fireworks and outdoor barbecuing will also be banned in Beijing during the same time period.

System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) stations in Delhi University, IGI Airport, Dhirpur also had 'severe' Air Quality Index (AQI), bordering 450 in most cases.

Also, Greenpeace India, while releasing a survey on indoor air quality in Delhi schools recently, said that the pollution levels were found to be five times more than the safety limits.