New Delhi, Dec. 12 -- The national capital woke up to a blanket of toxic smog on Friday morning, with the average Air Quality Index (AQI) hitting 329 at 7 am, marking it in the "very poor" category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Despite marginal improvements in recent weeks, large parts of the capital remained engulfed in dense and toxic smog. A thick haze was reported in areas such as Ghazipur and Anand Vihar, where visibility remained severely low. According to the CPCB, several localities across the city continued to register "very poor" air quality.

The area around Anand Vihar and Ghazipur was blanketed in a dense layer of toxic smog, with an AQI of 386.

According to CPCB data, Sonia Vihar recorded an AQI...