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.

Krishna Koli is 10, lives in Delhi, falls ill frequently and rarely steps out of home. On a day when the Capital’s air pollution levels peaked to record levels, Ankita Upadhyay tracked his journey — from an asthma clinic in a government hospital to his home on the outskirts of the city,

Experts said even though winds were predominantly calm on Saturday, they picked up late in the evening, with similarly strong winds recorded on Sunday.

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.

Air pollution in North India persists, with Delhi’s air quality at ’very poor’ today. Classes in Gurugram, Noida, and Faridabad remain suspended. The AQI improved from ’severe’ to ’very poor’ but remains hazardous,

Delhi's air quality index receded to the poor range on Sunday, aided by consistent winds and less moisture, after a Saturday with a sever AQI score.The air quality index (AQI) was 348 at 11am, fell to 323 by 3pm and was 308 by 6pm.

Delhi's air quality showed slight improvement on Sunday, moving from "severe" to "very poor" with an AQI of 318. This improvement follows a week of hazardous air quality, peaking at 495 last Monday. Vehicular emissions and stubble burning were identified as major contributors to the pollution.