AQI Today: As Diwali celebrations draw to a close, pollution levels are rising in major cities across the world, including Delhi. This time it wasn’t the state capital that was targeted for extremely high pollution levels, Haryana’s Dharuhera topped the list of most polluted cities across India as it recorded an AQI of 393 at 7:10 am on October 22, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.
Two days after Diwali, cities across the country continue to grapple with “very poor” air quality. Dharuhera missed the ‘severe’ mark by just 7 points, while Delhi entered the ‘severe’ category on Diwali day when PM 10 and PM 2.5 concentrations peaked at 675, PTI reported.
According to the CPCB, an AQI of 201 to 300 is classified as “poor”, values between 301 and 400 fall into the “very poor” category, and levels above 401 are considered “severe” on the AQI 500 scale.
Residents of Delhi woke up to dark clouds enveloping the city and continue to breathe polluted toxic air. While we wait for heavy rains to bring relief from dangerous pollution levels, let’s take a look at the list of most polluted cities across India with corresponding ‘very poor’ AQI levels.
The most polluted cities in all of India
- Daruhera 393
- Another 386
- Narnaul 370
- Charkhi Dadri 364
- Rohtak 350
- Delhi 345, Yamuna Nagar 345
- 332 Bhiwadi
- Gorakhpur 330
- Gurugram 311
- Ballabgarh 308, Sirsa 330
- Fatehabad 307, Ghaziabad 307
- Nandesari 303
Delhi AQI remains ‘very poor’
At 2:30 pm on Wednesday, Delhi recorded an AQI of 342. Punjabi Bagh and Nehru Nagar monitoring stations reported the worst air quality with AQIs of 416 and 401. The rising pollution levels in Delhi are blamed by the BJP government on stubble burning in AAP-ruled Punjab.
But the pollution issues come at a time when the Supreme Court struck down the years-old blanket ban on firecrackers in Delhi-NCR. This time the Supreme Court allowed the use of green crackers on Diwali but within a limited time frame. Many have violated the Supreme Court’s directives, exacerbating air quality concerns.
High pollution levels in the ‘very poor’ range were also reported in Okhla, Sirifort Ashok Vihar, Dwarka Sector 8, Bawana, Mathura Road, Pusa, North Campus, ITO, around Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and Dilshad Garden. Meanwhile, NISE Gwal Pahari, Lodhi Road, IGI Airport and NSIT Dwarka recorded the best air quality in the city, falling in the ‘poor’ range.
