Delhi's AQI of 1,000 makes it the most polluted city in the world.

 

New Delhi has ranked as the world's most polluted city due to a severe air emergency, resulting in an air quality index score of over 1,000, considered "hazardous". 

The pollution reduced visibility, caused flight cancellations, and overtook Pakistan's Lahore as the most polluted city in Swiss group IQAir's live rankings. India's pollution authority reported an AQI of around 350.

Delhi's AQI reading of 350, which measures inhalable particulate matter PM2.5, is 30 to 35 times higher than the World Health Organization's safe limit. 

This is the first time this year the AQI reading for PM2.5 has crossed 1,000, leaving the city covered in hazy grayish-yellow. Readings below 100 are considered satisfactory, under 200 "poor", and 400-500 "severe" in an area.

According to satellite photos, the nation has been engulfed in poisonous haze for the past week, and New Delhi has surpassed Pakistan's Lahore, which was the most polluted city in the world.

Around 8 a.m., the India Meteorological Department said that the pollution in Delhi has caused visibility to drop to 100 meters (328 feet) in several areas.

In a post on social networking site X, Delhi International Airport Limited, the airport's operator, announced the implementation of "low visibility procedures" at the city's Indira Gandhi International Airport.

"While landing and takeoffs continue at Delhi Airport, flights that are not CAT III compliant may get affected," warned the organization. The navigation system allows airplanes to land in limited visibility conditions under category three.

Every winter, the Indian capital city and its surrounding cities of Noida and Gurgaon struggle with extreme pollution as dust, pollutants, and smoke from illegally started agricultural fires in the nearby farming states of Punjab and Haryana get trapped in cold, heavy air.

The Delhi government has been implementing measures to combat air pollution in northern India, particularly during winter, which has led to a shorter life span for millions of citizens. 

Factors contributing to this include year-round pollution, industrial pollution, stagnant wind conditions, and smog from Punjab and Haryana, where farmers burn rice straws to clear waste. 

This results in the trapping of poisonous air, causing breathing difficulties, headaches, and itchy eyes for residents. 

The government has ordered closures of schools, restrictions on private vehicles, and some building work.