Lahore’s air quality index has reached 234, ranking second globally, according to IQAir data
Vehicles drive on a smog-covered road on the morning of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in New Delhi, India, October 20, 2025 Photo: Reuters
Air quality in India’s capital New Delhi deteriorated to dangerous levels on Tuesday, with the highest values in the world, according to Swiss group IQAir, partly due to the use of firecrackers during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.
India’s Supreme Court last week relaxed a ban on firecrackers in the city, allowing so-called “green firecrackers” to be used for a maximum of three hours each on Sunday and Monday, although Reuters witnesses saw firecrackers being set off outside the prescribed hours.
Emissions from crackers are 30% to 50% lower than conventional fireworks.
The IQAir reading for New Delhi was 442, making the Indian capital the world’s most polluted major city. Its concentration of PM 2.5 was more than 59 times the recommended annual guideline of the World Health Organization.
PM 2.5 refers to particles 2.5 microns in diameter or smaller that can be carried to the lungs, risking fatal diseases and heart problems.
The Central Pollution Control Board of India (CPCB) also rated the city’s air quality as “very poor” with an air quality index (AQI) reading of 350. The CPCB considers an AQI of 0-50 as good.
Delhi is unlikely to get any relief in the coming days, with the land ministry predicting air quality to remain in the ‘Very Poor to Poor’ category with AQI levels between 201 and 400.
India’s capital and surrounding areas are prone to heavy smog each winter as cold, heavy air traps construction dust, vehicle emissions and smoke from rural fires, leaving many of its 20 million residents struggling with respiratory illnesses.
In the past, authorities have closed schools, halted some construction work and imposed vehicle restrictions to deal with the problem.
India is not alone among South Asian countries in battling toxic air.
In Pakistan’s neighboring Punjab province, which shares a border with India, the government has implemented an “emergency plan” to tackle pollution, which includes action against farm fires and smoke-emitting vehicles and the use of smog weapons in polluted areas.
The air quality index for Lahore, the capital of Punjab, was 234, the second highest in the world, according to IQAir data.
“Right now, the major issue is air coming from Indian Punjab and other places, which is affecting the air quality in various parts of Pakistani Punjab,” said Sajid Bashir, a spokesman for the Punjab Environmental Protection Agency.
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