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 quickly in multiple cities. In several cities, the air is nothing short of toxic.
At 5.30 pm on Thursday, October 16, Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar topped the list of the most polluted cities in India, falling under the ‘poor’ category with an AQI of 264 followed by Sasroli in Haryana’s Jhajjar district with an AQI of 263.
The top 10 cities with the highest AQI in India were in the ‘poor’ category, as per AQI monitoring agency aqi.in.
| Rank | City | AQI | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sagar | 264 | Poor | |
| 2. | Sasroli | 263 | Poor | |
| 3. | Narnaul | 257 | Poor | |
| 4. | Panchkula | 254 | Poor | |
| 5. | Maihar | 230 | Poor | |
| 6. | Narasannapeta | 227 | Poor | |
| 7. | Begampur | 227 | Poor | |
| 8. | Kaimla | 223 | Poor | |
| 9. | Bahadurgarh | 222 | Poor | |
| 10. | Vishakhapatnam | 213 | Poor |
These were cities with the highest AQI in the world at 5.30 pm.
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.
What should residents do
As the AQI is rising, residents are advised to wear masks and stay indoors to avoid breathing in the polluted air. Health experts also advise against outdoor walking, jogging, or exercising due to the presence of pollutants in the air.
