After unbridled burning of firecrackers to celebrate Dewali, two more Indian cities joined New Delhi in te list of the world's worst 10 polluted cities on Monday morning. However, New Delhi still tops the list with an air quality index (AQI) of 420, putting it the 'hazardous' category.
On Monday morning, a day after Diwali, Kolkata ended up being at the fourth position with an AQI of 196, while the financial capital of Mumbai was eighth with an AQI of 163.
AQI in India ahead of winters
Exacerbation of air quality in India ahead of winters is common as, owing to the drop in teperature, air traps an elevated level of pollutants from vehicles, industry, construction dust and agricultural waste burning.
An AQI level of 400-500 impacts healthy people and is dangerous to those with existing diseases, while a level of 150-200 brings discomfort to people with asthma, lung and heart problems. Levels of 0-50 are considered good.
