Believe it or not: UP cities have air far more toxic than Delhi

New Delhi: As Delhi grapples with its gas chamber-like conditions, some of the major cities across northern India aren't doing well either.

In a bid to save Delhi from the hazardous smog, other neighbouring cities that are doing way worse than the national capital are being forgotten.

The city of Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 500 – the highest the scale can measure – this past Tuesday, with its air dropping from 'very poor' to 'severe'.

Analysis of the Central Pollution Control Board’s AQI data revealed that the air quality has clearly plummeted across the northern-Gangetic plain, specifically, in places such as Lucknow, Agra, Kanpur and Muzzafarpur.

On November 7, NASA's Aqua satellite captured the extent of the choking air pollution across north India in an image, showing a “natural-colour image of haze and fog” blanketing the region.

Moreover, the same sensor also showed an “aerosol optical depth” revealing “red-brown colours” that indicate skies thick with aerosol pollution.

The air quality index for the period November 6-9 shows that Ghaziabad and Noida recorded elevated levels of air pollution on Monday, higher than Delhi which had AQI of 354.

Over a period of three days (November 7, 8, and 9), the air quality in NCR areas was consistently poor – Bhiwadi (439 to 468), Faridabad (409 to 482), Ghaziabad (475 to 499) and Noida (407 to 469).

Beyond NCR, Lucknow recorded an AQI of 430 on Wednesday and 468 on Thursday. Moradabad showed an AQI of 500 on Tuesday, 439 on Wednesday and 414 on Thursday. Agra's AQI was 449 on Thursday and Muzzafarpur recorded 454 on the AQI.