Delhi world’s most polluted major city on eve of Diwali, Swiss group says

BENGALURU: Delhi was the world’s most polluted major city on Saturday morning, according to Swiss group IQAir’s live ranking, as the Indian capital faced severe pollution forecasts a day before Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.

India has ordered schools in and around Delhi to offer online classes, and encouraged people to work from home ahead of Diwali on Sunday, which is usually marked by the widespread use of firecrackers that further worsen the air quality.

m. (0505 GMT), with a US air quality index reading of 581, double that of Lahore in neighboring Pakistan, at 285. IQAir’s reading, based on concentrations of air pollutants, is not directly comparable to India’s official index, which uses a different scale and methodology.