Delhi topped IQAir’s ranking of the world’s most polluted major cities Friday as smog reduced visibility, while India’s Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) also classified the capital’s air as severe.
Swiss air-quality group IQAir reported a Delhi AQI of 334, a level it classified as hazardous, and ranked the city first on its live major-city list. The CPCB recorded 403. The readings are not directly comparable because the two systems use different scales and calculation methods.
Friday’s position differed from an early Nov. 3 snapshot, when Lahore led IQAir’s list with an AQI of 447 and Delhi stood at 215. The live ranking covers about 120 cities and updates at least hourly, making each result a point-in-time comparison rather than an annual ranking. EconoTimes previously covered Lahore’s lead in the early Nov. 3 snapshot.
Reuters said winter weather contributes to recurring haze across northern India and neighboring Pakistan by slowing the dispersal of pollution from traffic, construction and crop burning.
