In brief
On November 7, 2026, IQAir ranked Delhi as the world’s most polluted major city with a US Air Quality Index of 581, double Lahore’s 285. The Indian government ordered schools to switch to online classes and urged people to work from home. Gulf Times reports that Delhi is routinely ranked number one each winter by IQAir, a claim not covered by other outlets.
On November 7, 2026, the Swiss air‑quality tracker IQAir named Delhi the world’s most polluted major city on the morning of Diwali, citing a US Air Quality Index of 581 that was twice the reading of Lahore at 285.
India’s Central Pollution Control Board, operating on a different scale, recorded Delhi’s index at 363 at 10 a.m., placing it in the "very poor" category.
In response to the severe conditions, the Indian government ordered schools in and around Delhi to provide online classes and encouraged citizens to work from home in anticipation of the Diwali fireworks that would otherwise worsen air quality.
According to Gulf Times, Delhi is "typically ranked the world's most polluted city several times each winter by Swiss group IQAir," a detail that is not reported by other outlets.
