At 6 am on Saturday, the CPCB recorded Delhi’s AQI at 419, which placed it back in the ‘severe’ category.

Whatever the causes of the smog, by one ranking Delhi was not just the most polluted city in the world, but “nearly five times as bad as the second most polluted city, Dhaka,” in Bangladesh next door, as Shashi Tharoor, a leader of the opposition in Parliament and best-selling author, posted on X.

Unhealthy

India's capital city of Delhi has virtually shut down as air pollution hit "severe plus" levels, according to Indian government officials in its pollution control authority.

Authorities in India’s capital have shut schools, halted construction and banned non-essential trucks from entering the city after air pollution shot up to its worst level this season.

Toxic smog engulfed much of northern India on Monday and pollution readings in New Delhi hit their highest of this pre-winter season, after dense fog overnight.

Leaders of Indian capital must tackle transport and heavy industry rather than seek quick fixes, say campaigners

Delhi, India’s capital, stands as a powerful emblem of history and modernity. However, today it is also infamous for a growing environmental crisis that risks overshadowing its legacy: water and air pollution.

The Central Pollution Control Board data shows of the 38 monitoring stations in Delhi, nine reported AQI readings in the “severe” range.

After a week of "severe" pollution levels in Delhi, the city`s air quality improved slightly but still remained "very poor", as it recorded the season`s lowest temperature on Thursday morning, reported PTI.