New Delhi, Dec. 2 -- The new assessment of the early winter trends (October-November) and annual air quality trends in the national capital by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), exposes the growing toxicity of the air, worsening of air quality in smaller towns of the National Capital region (NCR), and the risk of reversal of long term air quality gains in the city.

Despite a significantly lower contribution from farm fires this season, Delhi's air quality has still slipped into the very poor to severe, pointing to the impact of local pollution sources, mainly from vehicles and combustion sources, the CSE said in a report released on Monday.

"Delhi and NCR cannot hide behind the smokescreen of farm fires any more as even with ...