Top 10 highest AQI cities today: With the temperatures dropping in the country, especially in North India, the air quality is dropping too. The AQI, an indicator of air pollution, is rising up quickly in multiple cities. In several cities, the air is nothing short of toxic.
At 9 am on Thursday, October 16, Punjab’s Kapurthala and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh topped the list of the most polluted cities at 9 am on Thursday. The top 10 cities with the highest AQI in India were in the ‘very poor’ category, with the AQI reading well above 300, as per AQI monitoring agency aqi.in.
Top 10 highest AQI cities in India:
| Rank | City | AQI | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kapurthala | 389 | Very poor |
| 2. | Ghaziabad | 346 | Very poor |
| 3. | Nagli Bahrampur | 336 | Very poor |
| 4. | Baddi | 331 | Very poor |
| 5. | Saharanpur | 321 | Very poor |
| 6. | Haripur | 320 | Very poor |
| 7. | Bulandshahr | 318 | Very poor |
| 8. | Gurgaon | 316 | Very poor |
| 9. | Begampur | 309 | Very poor |
| 10. | Nawanshahr, India | 309 | Very poor |
These were cities with the highest AQI in the world at 9 am.
The AQI reading is categorised as Good (0-50), Satisfactory (51-100), Moderately Polluted (101-200), Poor (201-300), Very Poor (301-400), and Severe (401-500). Thus, higher the AQI reading, the unhealthier it gets to breathe.
Health Advisory
With the AQI constantly rising, Delhi-NCR residents are advised to wear masks and stay indoors as much as possible to avoid breathing in the toxic air. Health experts also advise to avoid outdoor walking, jogging, or exercising due to the presence of pollutants in the air.
