Delhi pollution worsens on Diwali, AQI hits 581 on IQAir index

Delhi was the world’s most polluted major city on Sunday morning, according to Swiss air quality monitoring group IQAir, as pollution levels remained high.

The Indian capital topped IQAir’s live ranking amid forecasts of severe pollution on Sunday. The Hindu festival of lights is usually marked by widespread firecracker use, which further worsens air quality.

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IQAir ranked Delhi first among the world’s major cities, with a US air quality index (AQI) reading of 581. The reading was more than double that of Lahore in neighbouring Pakistan, which recorded 285.

IQAir’s readings are based on concentrations of air pollutants and are not directly comparable with India’s official air quality index, as the two systems use different scales and methodologies.

India’s Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), meanwhile, recorded Delhi’s AQI at 363 at 10 am, placing it in the “very poor” category.

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Friday’s air quality in Delhi was the worst recorded on the eve of Diwali in eight years, local media reported, citing official data.

Ahead of the festival, India ordered schools in and around Delhi to offer online classes and encouraged people to work from home to limit exposure to pollution.

Air pollution is an annual problem across several parts of northern India from the onset of winter. Cold, heavy air traps vehicle emissions, construction dust and smoke from crop-waste burning, contributing to a deterioration in air quality.