Delhi Becomes World’s Most Polluted City; Dense Smog Layers Blanket The Capital & Disrupt Flight Operations

Delhi overtook Pakistan's Lahore to become the most polluted city in the world.

by Shreya Ghosh
Delhi Becomes World’s Most Polluted City; Dense Smog Layers Blanket The Capital & Disrupt Flight Operations

Winter season’s arrival and dip in air quality in Delhi go hand in hand. As soon as the temperatures start dropping, thick blankets of smog begin to surround the city and nearby areas making the visibility poor often. It is only mid-November and the worsening state of the Air Quality Index has made Delhi the most polluted city in the world. With a significant rise in pollution, flights were diverted on Wednesday morning.

Delhi Is Now The World’s Most Polluted City

X user sumant bhatia (@liveSumantB) shared a video of the city covered in dense smog.

Pollution levels are rising scarily in the national capital. Since the past few days, these updates have become the talk of the town. Today, the visibility in the city dropped to zero. With pollution worsening miserably in Delhi, the city just named itself the most polluted city in the entire world.

The capital city overtook Pakistan’s Lahore to become the most polluted one, according to Swiss group IQAir’s live rankings. Delhi’s AQI surpassed 1,000. Such high levels are called ‘hazardous’.

In an unfortunate turn of events, dense layers of smog covered the city in the early hours of Wednesday. According to information provided by the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi’s AQI was 355 at around 7 AM today. At 10 AM, the AQI jumped to 370.

Taking to X, The Legal SA (@TheLegalSA) shared images of Delhi’s pollution and alarming air quality.

These unavoidable conditions led to a diversion of eight flights during the morning hours. Due to intense smog and horrible visibility, the authorities came to this crucial decision. As shared by the sources of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, seven flights were diverted to Jaipur. One flight flew to Lucknow. The situation began improving after 10 AM.

Also read: Delhiites Faces Major Water Shortage Due To Pollution Of Yamuna River, No Relief Expected During Diwali

Delhiites Complain On Social Media

Stephen hawking (@hawking2023) shared a bird’s eye view video of Delhi’s poor air quality.

Netizens have flooded social media platforms by sharing videos and pictures of Delhi covered in smog. The glimpses of the polluted capital city surely look alarming and need urgent attention. Toxic smog all around is terribly harmful to health. Driving during morning hours may get risky if visibility exacerbates similarly.

Also read: Delhi: In A Bid To Curb Pollution, NDMC Doubles Car Parking Fee; Motorists To Pay ₹40 Per Hour

Delhiites, stay safe and follow all necessary guidelines.

Cover Image Courtesy: X/ The Legal SA (@TheLegalSA)

For more such snackable content, interesting discoveries and the latest updates on food, travel and experiences in your city, download the Curly Tales App. Download HERE.
First Published: November 13, 2024 6:11 PM