{"id":1315715,"date":"2026-11-13T11:34:24","date_gmt":"2026-11-13T06:04:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/?p=1315715"},"modified":"2026-11-13T11:34:40","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T06:04:40","slug":"delhi-beats-lahore-to-become-worlds-most-polluted-city-aqi-surges-to-hazardous-levels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/delhi-beats-lahore-to-become-worlds-most-polluted-city-aqi-surges-to-hazardous-levels\/","title":{"rendered":"Delhi Beats Lahore To Become World&#8217;s Most Polluted City; AQI Surges To &#8216;Hazardous&#8217; Levels"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Delhi has overtaken Pakistan&#8217;s Lahore to become the world&#8217;s most polluted major city, as deteriorating air quality and thick smog blanketed the national capital on Friday, November 13, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Untitled-design-2-1280x720-1-1024x576-1.jpeg\" alt=\"Delhi Beats Lahore To Become World's Most Polluted City; AQI Surges To 'Hazardous' Levels\" class=\"wp-image-1315721\" srcset=\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Untitled-design-2-1280x720-1-1024x576-1.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Untitled-design-2-1280x720-1-1024x576-1-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Untitled-design-2-1280x720-1-1024x576-1-768x432.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The city, home to approximately 20 million people, witnessed a sharp decline in visibility as pollution levels reached hazardous levels. Vehicles and motorcycles were seen moving through dense smog, while street lights were barely visible along several major roads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Swiss air quality monitoring organisation IQAir, Delhi recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 334 on Friday, placing it at the top of its global ranking of major polluted cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, India&#8217;s Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recorded an even higher AQI of 403, categorising the city&#8217;s air quality as severe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why Are Delhi&#8217;s AQI Readings Different?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The difference between IQAir and CPCB readings is due to the different air quality scales and methodologies used by the two organisations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>IQAir measures air quality based on the concentration of pollutants, while India&#8217;s CPCB follows its own national AQI calculation and classification system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Under India&#8217;s AQI classification:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>0\u201350: Good<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>51\u2013100: Satisfactory<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>101\u2013200: Moderate<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>201\u2013300: Poor<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>301\u2013400: Very Poor<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>401\u2013500: Severe<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>An AQI of 403 therefore places Delhi in the severe category under India&#8217;s national monitoring system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For comparison, an AQI reading of up to 50 is considered good by IQAir, indicating little or no health risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why Does Delhi&#8217;s Air Pollution Increase During Winter?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Air pollution is a recurring seasonal problem across northern India and neighbouring Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During winter, cold and heavy air can trap pollutants close to the ground, preventing them from dispersing easily. This creates conditions in which emissions and airborne particles accumulate over cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Several sources contribute to the pollution, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Vehicle emissions from cars, motorcycles and commercial transport.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Construction dust from infrastructure and building activities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Smoke from agricultural residue burning in neighbouring states.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Industrial emissions and other urban pollution sources.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When these pollutants combine with unfavourable weather conditions, visibility can deteriorate rapidly, creating dense smog across the National Capital Region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Dense Smog Disrupts Visibility Across the Capital<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The worsening air quality was visible across several parts of Delhi on Friday morning. Dense smog reduced visibility on major roads, with vehicles emerging through thick layers of haze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The deteriorating conditions have also renewed concerns about the health impact of prolonged exposure to polluted air, particularly for children, older people and individuals with respiratory conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The situation highlights the recurring challenge faced by Delhi and other northern Indian cities as winter approaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Delhi&#8217;s Pollution Crisis Raises Wider Concerns<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Delhi overtaking Lahore in IQAir&#8217;s global ranking is another indication of the severity of the region&#8217;s seasonal pollution problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both Indian and Pakistani cities experience deteriorating air quality during winter because of a combination of emissions, agricultural burning and weather conditions that trap pollutants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The latest readings underline the need for coordinated pollution-control measures across the region, alongside sustained action on transport emissions, construction dust and agricultural burning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Delhi overtook Lahore to become the world&#8217;s most polluted major city on November 13, 2026, according to IQAir. The organisation recorded an AQI of 334, while India&#8217;s CPCB reported 403, placing the capital in the severe category. Vehicle emissions, construction dust, agricultural burning and winter weather conditions are contributing to the worsening pollution and reduced visibility.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Delhi has overtaken Pakistan&#8217;s Lahore to become the world&#8217;s most polluted major city, as deteriorating air quality and thick smog blanketed the national capital on Friday, November 13, 2026. The city, home to approximately 20 million people, witnessed a sharp decline in visibility as pollution levels reached hazardous levels. Vehicles and motorcycles were seen moving [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":1315721,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[585,1127],"class_list":["post-1315715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-delhi","tag-pollution"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Delhi Beats Lahore To Become World&#039;s Most Polluted City; AQI Surges To &#039;Hazardous&#039; Levels - Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile &amp; Startups<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/delhi-beats-lahore-to-become-worlds-most-polluted-city-aqi-surges-to-hazardous-levels\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Delhi Beats Lahore To Become World&#039;s Most Polluted City; AQI Surges To &#039;Hazardous&#039; Levels - Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile &amp; Startups\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Delhi has overtaken Pakistan&#8217;s Lahore to become the world&#8217;s most polluted major city, as deteriorating air quality and thick smog blanketed the national capital on Friday, November 13, 2026. The city, home to approximately 20 million people, witnessed a sharp decline in visibility as pollution levels reached hazardous levels. 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