Delhi tops global pollution table on eve of Diwali - Bangkok Post

A metro train crosses a bridge shrouded in air pollution in New Delhi on Nov 6, 2026. (Photo: Reuters) New Delhi ⁠was the world’s ​most polluted major city on Saturday morning, according ​to the live ranking of IQAir, as the Indian capital faced severe pollution forecasts a day before Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.

India has ordered schools ​in ⁠and around Delhi to offer online classes, and encouraged people to work from home ahead of Diwali ‌on Sunday, which is usually marked by the widespread use of firecrackers that further worsen the air quality.

⁠IQAir ranked Delhi first among the world’s major cities at 10.35am local time, with a US air quality index reading of 581, double that of Lahore in ​neighbouring Pakistan, at 285.

The IQAir reading, based on concentrations of air pollutants, is not ​directly ‌comparable to India’s official index, which uses a different scale and methodology.

India’s Central ​Pollution ⁠Control Board put Delhi’s air quality index at 363 at 10am, ⁠in the “very poor” category.

Friday’s air quality in Delhi was the worst pre-Diwali air in eight years, local media ⁠said, citing official data.

Pollution is ​an annual problem in many parts of northern India from the onset of winter as cold, heavy air traps ‌vehicle emissions, construction dust ⁠and smoke from ​crop-waste burning.