India: Delhi surpasses Lahore as world's most polluted city

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November 14, 2026

Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded to be higher than Lahore in Pakistan on Friday, which made it the most polluted city globally.

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Skip next section What you need to know

What you need to know

• SwissIQ reported Delhi AQI at 334, categorizing it as "hazardous" on Friday
• In Assam, at least 23 people died after a truck and bus collided

Here is a roundup of headlines from India on Saturday, November 14:

Skip next section Delhi overtakes Lahore as world's most polluted city

November 14, 2026

Delhi overtakes Lahore as world's most polluted city

On Friday, Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 334, categorized as "hazardous"making it the most polluted major city globally, according to Swiss air quality monitoring group IQAir.

The Indian capital's AQI was recorded to be higher than Lahore in Pakistan on Friday, which made it the most polluted city globally.

Quoting IQAir's hourly data, Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported that on Friday Delhi's AQI had dropped to 208 at 11.30 a.m. local time (0630 UTC). At the time, Lahore was ranked seventh among the world’s most polluted major cities, with an AQI of 155.

India's official Central Pollution ​Control Board, however, recorded the AQI higher at 403 and ‌rated ⁠it "severe."

The difference between the Indian and Swiss readings is caused by the fact that the two use different AQI scales and methodologies to calculate and categorize air pollution ​levels.

India's worst air pollution crisis isn't in its megacities

Visibility in Delhi is significantly impacted as a thick layer of smog has enveloped the city. 

In many parts of northern India and Pakistan, pollution poses a seasonal problem as the ​cold, heavy air of ​winter traps vehicle emissions, construction dust and smoke from agricultural ​burning.

Edited by:Saim Dušan Inayatullah

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Skip next section Welcome to our coverage

November 14, 2026

Welcome to our coverage

Hello! This is Midhat from DW's New Delhi Bureau bringing you all that's creating a buzz in India over the weekend.

With festivities over now, what's left for Delhi and the northern belt is the pollution to deal with. The Indian capital overtook Lahore in Pakistan to become the most polluted city in the world on Friday.

Meanwhile, a deadly truck-bus collision in India's northeastern state of Assam, which has claimed at least 23 lives, has shaken the region.

Stay tuned as we bring you more news from India over the course of the day.
 

Edited by:Saim Dušan Inayatullah

https://p.dw.com/p/5PRop

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