Delhi was ranked the world’s most polluted major city on Saturday morning by the Swiss group IQAir, as the Indian capital faced severe pollution forecasts a day before Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.
Indian authorities have ordered schools in and around Delhi to switch to online classes and have encouraged residents to work from home ahead of Diwali on Sunday, which is typically marked by widespread firecracker use that can further worsen air quality.
IQAir ranked Delhi first among the world’s major cities at 10:35 a.m. (0505 GMT), citing a U.S. air quality index reading of 581, double that of Lahore in neighboring Pakistan, at 285. The group said its readings, based on concentrations of air pollutants, are not directly comparable to India’s official index, which uses a different scale and methodology.
India’s Central Pollution Control Board placed Delhi’s air quality index at 363 at 10 a.m., in the “very poor” category.
Local media, citing official data, said Friday’s air quality in Delhi was the worst pre-Diwali air in eight years.
Pollution is an annual problem in many parts of northern India from the onset of winter, when cold, heavy air traps vehicle emissions, construction dust and smoke from crop-waste burning.
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