Delhi beats Lahore to become world’s most polluted city with AQI levels touching 1000

Yes, you read that right! India’s capital city Delhi has left Pakistan’s Lahore behind to become the world's most polluted city with AQI levels reaching 1000! On Wednesday morning, the pollution level in New Delhi reached a whole new level as Delhiites opened their eyes to a thick blanket of smog. The condition was so severe that it quickly became an air emergency.

For those who don’t know, the air quality index or AQI score of over 1000 is considered “hazardous”. While the AQI less than 100 are considered to be “satisfactory”, and anything within 200 is considered “poor”. Readings between 400-500 range mark pollution levels as "severe".
Because of this, the visibility levels went down and also led to several cancellations and diversions of flights and disrupted air travel immensely. With this, Delhi overtook Lahore as the world’s most polluted city as per Swiss group IQAir’s live rankings.

The severe smog and poor visibility led to the diversion of eight flights during the morning hours. Authorities made this critical decision in response to the hazardous conditions. According to sources at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, seven flights were rerouted to Jaipur, while one was diverted to Lucknow. The situation began to improve after 10 AM.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that in Delhi, pollution has reduced visibility to 100 m (328 ft) in some regions around 8 AM.

However, the pollution authority in India maintained that the AQI was about 350. As per the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi’s AQI was 355 at around 7 AM on Wednesday morning but by 10 AM, the AQI jumped to 370. It’s shocking as it is the first time this year that the AQI for PM2.5 crossed the 1000 mark in Delhi. The entire city was covered in a grayish-yellow smog.

Well it’s not the first time that Delhi is suffering from such serious smog conditions. The Indian capital and regions of Noida and Gurgaon suffer from severe pollution every winter. The smoke from farm fires adds to the pollution.


The main reasons for Delhi's severe pollution condition mostly include year-round emissions, industrial pollution, stagnant wind conditions, and smog from neighboring states where rice straw are burned to clear waste and prepare land for the next season. These factors together create highly toxic air leading to severe health issues for residents.

Earlier, the government, in order to battle the pollution, would shut schools and impose restrictions on private vehicles. Construction activities have also been stopped in the past.