{"publisher":{"name":"MediaBias News","url":"https://mediabias.news","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology","editorialPrinciples":"https://mediabias.news/editorial-principles","corrections":"https://mediabias.news/corrections"},"scoreGuide":{"trust":"How well corroborated and evidenced the source reporting is. 0-100, higher is better.","critic":"Craft quality of the source journalism: context, balance, fact vs comment. 0-100, higher is better.","hype":"How far the source presentation runs ahead of substance. 0-100, LOWER IS BETTER.","scope":"Scores assess the original reporting this article was written from, not the truth of the underlying event and not the quality of this write-up."},"assessmentGuide":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"story":{"id":"https://mediabias.news/climate/delhi-most-polluted-city-as-aqi-hits-hazardous-levels","slug":"delhi-most-polluted-city-as-aqi-hits-hazardous-levels","url":"https://mediabias.news/climate/delhi-most-polluted-city-as-aqi-hits-hazardous-levels","title":"Delhi most polluted city as AQI hits hazardous levels","subtitle":"India's capital surpasses Lahore amid smog, with differing readings from IQAir and official board","excerpt":"Delhi has been named the world's most polluted city, with air quality reaching hazardous levels. Readings from IQAir and India's Central Pollution Control Board differed, highlighting the seasonal nature of the problem.","category":"Climate","area":"India","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T17:45:51.880Z","sourceReportedAt":"2026-11-13T17:18:54.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-11-13T17:45:51.880Z","readTime":"2 min read","scores":{"trust":60,"critic":60,"hype":40,"notes":{"trust":"Multiple outlets cite IQAir and India's Central Pollution Control Board for AQI readings.","critic":"The story is reported by multiple outlets, but most provide only digests, limiting depth.","hype":"Headlines use strong language like 'hazardous' and 'crisis' but the body is factual."}},"tags":["#AirPollution","#Delhi","#India","#Climate","#Environment","#Smog"],"entities":["Delhi","Lahore","IQAir","Central Pollution Control Board"],"body":[{"type":"key_takeaways","items":["Delhi overtook Lahore to become the world's most polluted city on Friday.","Air quality in Delhi was rated 'hazardous' by IQAir at 334, and 'severe' by India's Central Pollution Control Board at 403.","The differing AQI readings are due to variations in scales and methodologies.","Pollution in the region is a seasonal issue exacerbated by winter air, emissions, dust, and agricultural burning."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Delhi surpassed Lahore, Pakistan, to become the world's most polluted city on Friday. Air quality in the Indian capital reached hazardous levels, with thick smog significantly reducing visibility. The city, home to 20 million people, experienced a dense grey haze that obscured streetlights and made distant objects difficult to see."},{"type":"heading","text":"Differing air quality readings"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"IQAir recorded Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) at 334, classifying it as 'hazardous'. In contrast, India's Central Pollution Control Board reported a higher AQI of 403, rating the air quality as 'severe'. These discrepancies arise from the different scales and methodologies employed by the two organisations in measuring and classifying pollution levels."},{"type":"heading","text":"What the coverage left out"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"None of the left-rated digests mention the specific concentration of PM2.5 particles reported by The CSR Journal. None of the centre-rated reports mention the PM2.5 concentration. The right-rated digest does not mention the PM2.5 concentration."}],"basedOn":[{"sourceName":"Novinky.cz","url":"https://novinky.cz/clanek/pocasi-dilli-se-stalo-nejznecistenejsim-velkomestem-sveta-40608431","headline":"Delhi Has Become the Most Polluted City in the World","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T17:18:54.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Jerusalem Post","url":"https://jpost.com/environment-and-climate-change/article-914819","headline":"Delhi gets title of world's most polluted city as air quality becomes 'hazardous' to health","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T14:42:51.593Z"},{"sourceName":"Pakistan Times Today","url":"https://pakistantimestoday.com/news/world/delhi-tops-global-pollution-rankings-amid-rising-smog","headline":"Delhi Tops Global Pollution Rankings Amid Rising Smog","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T12:04:55.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Sada El balad","url":"https://see.news/delhi-becomes-worlds-most-polluted-city","headline":"Delhi Becomes World’s Most Polluted City","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T11:32:17.000Z"},{"sourceName":"sawaleif.com","url":"https://sawaleif.com/%D8%AF%D9%84%D9%87%D9%8A-%D8%AA%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AF%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%83%D8%AB%D8%B1-%D8%AA%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AB%D8%A7%D9%8B-%D9%81-1122243","headline":"Delhi Is at the Top of the List of the Most Polluted Cities in the World.","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T11:09:14.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Goemkarponn - Goa News","url":"https://goemkarponn.com/delhi-becomes-worlds-most-polluted-city-as-aqi-crosses-400","headline":"Delhi Becomes World’s Most Polluted City as AQI Crosses 400 - Goemkarponn","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T10:53:47.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Reuters","url":"https://reuters.com/business/environment/delhi-overtakes-lahore-worlds-most-polluted-city-air-quality-drops-2026-11-13","headline":"Delhi overtakes Lahore as world's most polluted city as air quality drops","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T10:11:00.000Z"},{"sourceName":"aljazeera.net","url":"https://aljazeera.net/news/2026/11/13/%d8%af%d9%84%d9%87%d9%8a-%d8%aa%d8%aa%d8%ac%d8%a7%d9%88%d8%b2-%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%87%d9%88%d8%b1-%d9%84%d8%aa%d8%b5%d8%a8%d8%ad-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%af%d9%8a%d9%86%d8%a9","headline":"New Delhi Goes Beyond Lahore to Become the Most Polluted City in the World.","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T10:09:52.000Z"},{"sourceName":"The CSR Journal","url":"https://thecsrjournal.in/delhi-ncr-experiences-severe-air-quality-crisis-as-aqi-reaches-402-amidst-rising-pollution-from-agricultural-fires-and-unfavorable-weather-conditions","headline":"Delhi-NCR Faces Severe Air Quality Crisis Amid Pollution","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T10:06:41.000Z"},{"sourceName":"dailythedestination.com","url":"https://dailythedestination.com/delhi-overtakes-lahore-as-worlds-most-polluted-city-as-air-quality-plunges","headline":"Delhi Overtakes Lahore as World’s Most Polluted City as Air Quality Plunges","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T09:41:03.000Z"},{"sourceName":"CNN Brasil","url":"https://cnnbrasil.com.br/internacional/delhi-supera-cidade-do-paquistao-e-se-torna-a-mais-poluida-do-mundo","headline":"Delhi Surpasses Pakistan's City and Becomes the Most Polluted in the World","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T08:12:01.000Z"},{"sourceName":"The Independent","url":"https://independent.co.uk/asia/south-asia/delhi-lahore-worlds-most-polluted-b3084287.html","headline":"Delhi overtakes Lahore as world’s most polluted city","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T07:33:51.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Dawn","url":"https://dawn.com/news/2044265","headline":"Delhi overtakes Lahore as world's most polluted major city as air quality deteriorates","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T07:26:55.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Khaleej Times","url":"https://khaleejtimes.com/world/asia/pictures-delhi-world-most-polluted-air-quality-drops","headline":"In pictures: Delhi overtakes Lahore as world's most polluted city as air quality drops","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T06:19:29.000Z"}],"analysis":{"distribution":{"percent":{"left":57,"centre":29,"right":14},"count":{"left":4,"centre":2,"right":1},"totalSources":14,"untracked":7,"rated":7,"observedAt":"2026-11-13T17:45:12.040769+00:00"},"lifecycle":{"state":"developing","lastCheckedAt":"2026-11-13T18:15:16.641Z","closedAt":null,"checks":2,"changes":0,"reopened":false},"framing":{"left":["Four left-rated reports focused on Delhi becoming the world's most polluted city. Three of these noted the 'hazardous' AQI reading of 334 from IQAir. Two reports mentioned the differing AQI figure of 403 from India's Central Pollution Control Board, classifying it as 'severe'. The seasonal nature of pollution in northern India and Pakistan was noted by two reports. The Independent mentioned the contrast between Delhi's AQI and the benchmark for good air quality."],"centre":["Two centre-rated reports highlighted Delhi overtaking Lahore as the world's most polluted city due to hazardous air quality and reduced visibility from smog. Both mentioned the city's population of 20 million. The Jerusalem Post, which provided a full report, included details about cars and motorcycles emerging from smog and obscured streetlights, citing videos from news agency ANI. It also noted the seasonal aspect of the pollution problem in northern India and Pakistan."],"right":["The single right-rated report focused on Delhi becoming the world's most polluted city as air quality dropped. It included a mention of cars and motorcycles emerging from dense smog, which also appeared to obscure streetlights on the city's main roads, according to videos from news agency ANI."],"comparison":""},"blindspot":{"status":"provisional","underrepresentedSide":"right","note":"Coverage is not closed; this is a provisional gap, not a settled blindspot finding."},"sourceFactualityDistribution":{"mixed":1,"high":5,"unknown":7,"veryHigh":1},"ownershipDistribution":{"privateEquity":1,"mediaConglomerate":1,"billionaire":2,"government":1,"corporation":3},"firstDatedReport":{"sourceName":"Khaleej Times","url":"https://khaleejtimes.com/world/asia/pictures-delhi-world-most-polluted-air-quality-drops","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T06:19:29.000Z"},"countries":[{"country":"London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom","count":2},{"country":"Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates","count":1},{"country":"Karachi, Karachi City, Sindh, Pakistan","count":1},{"country":"São Paulo, State of São Paulo, Brazil","count":1},{"country":"Jerusalem, Jerusalem District, Israel","count":1}],"outlets":[{"name":"Khaleej Times","url":"https://khaleejtimes.com/world/asia/pictures-delhi-world-most-polluted-air-quality-drops","headline":"In pictures: Delhi overtakes Lahore as world's most polluted city as air quality drops","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T06:19:29.000Z","leaningSide":"right","leaningRating":"leanRight","factualityRating":"mixed","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Dawn","url":"https://dawn.com/news/2044265","headline":"Delhi overtakes Lahore as world's most polluted major city as air quality deteriorates","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T07:26:55.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"leanLeft","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Karachi, Karachi City, Sindh, Pakistan","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"The Independent","url":"https://independent.co.uk/asia/south-asia/delhi-lahore-worlds-most-polluted-b3084287.html","headline":"Delhi overtakes Lahore as world’s most polluted city","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T07:33:51.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"leanLeft","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"CNN Brasil","url":"https://cnnbrasil.com.br/internacional/delhi-supera-cidade-do-paquistao-e-se-torna-a-mais-poluida-do-mundo","headline":"Delhi Surpasses Pakistan's City and Becomes the Most Polluted in the World","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T08:12:01.000Z","leaningSide":null,"leaningRating":"unknown","factualityRating":"unknown","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"São Paulo, State of São Paulo, Brazil","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"dailythedestination.com","url":"https://dailythedestination.com/delhi-overtakes-lahore-as-worlds-most-polluted-city-as-air-quality-plunges","headline":"Delhi Overtakes Lahore as World’s Most Polluted City as Air Quality Plunges","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T09:41:03.000Z","leaningSide":null,"leaningRating":"unknown","factualityRating":"unknown","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"The CSR Journal","url":"https://thecsrjournal.in/delhi-ncr-experiences-severe-air-quality-crisis-as-aqi-reaches-402-amidst-rising-pollution-from-agricultural-fires-and-unfavorable-weather-conditions","headline":"Delhi-NCR Faces Severe Air Quality Crisis Amid Pollution","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T10:06:41.000Z","leaningSide":null,"leaningRating":"unknown","factualityRating":"unknown","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"aljazeera.net","url":"https://aljazeera.net/news/2026/11/13/%d8%af%d9%84%d9%87%d9%8a-%d8%aa%d8%aa%d8%ac%d8%a7%d9%88%d8%b2-%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%87%d9%88%d8%b1-%d9%84%d8%aa%d8%b5%d8%a8%d8%ad-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%af%d9%8a%d9%86%d8%a9","headline":"New Delhi Goes Beyond Lahore to Become the Most Polluted City in the World.","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T10:09:52.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"leanLeft","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Reuters","url":"https://reuters.com/business/environment/delhi-overtakes-lahore-worlds-most-polluted-city-air-quality-drops-2026-11-13","headline":"Delhi overtakes Lahore as world's most polluted city as air quality drops","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T10:11:00.000Z","leaningSide":"centre","leaningRating":"center","factualityRating":"veryHigh","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Goemkarponn","url":"https://goemkarponn.com/delhi-becomes-worlds-most-polluted-city-as-aqi-crosses-400","headline":"Delhi Becomes World’s Most Polluted City as AQI Crosses 400 - Goemkarponn","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T10:53:47.000Z","leaningSide":null,"leaningRating":"unknown","factualityRating":"unknown","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"sawaleif.com","url":"https://sawaleif.com/%D8%AF%D9%84%D9%87%D9%8A-%D8%AA%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AF%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%83%D8%AB%D8%B1-%D8%AA%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AB%D8%A7%D9%8B-%D9%81-1122243","headline":"Delhi Is at the Top of the List of the Most Polluted Cities in the World.","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T11:09:14.000Z","leaningSide":null,"leaningRating":"unknown","factualityRating":"unknown","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Sada El balad","url":"https://see.news/delhi-becomes-worlds-most-polluted-city","headline":"Delhi Becomes World’s Most Polluted City","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T11:32:17.000Z","leaningSide":null,"leaningRating":"unknown","factualityRating":"unknown","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Pakistan Times Today","url":"https://pakistantimestoday.com/news/world/delhi-tops-global-pollution-rankings-amid-rising-smog","headline":"Delhi Tops Global Pollution Rankings Amid Rising Smog","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T12:04:55.000Z","leaningSide":null,"leaningRating":"unknown","factualityRating":"unknown","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Jerusalem Post","url":"https://jpost.com/environment-and-climate-change/article-914819","headline":"Delhi gets title of world's most polluted city as air quality becomes 'hazardous' to health","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T14:42:51.593Z","leaningSide":"centre","leaningRating":"center","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Jerusalem, Jerusalem District, Israel","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Novinky.cz","url":"https://novinky.cz/clanek/pocasi-dilli-se-stalo-nejznecistenejsim-velkomestem-sveta-40608431","headline":"Delhi Has Become the Most Polluted City in the World","publishedAt":"2026-11-13T17:18:54.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"leanLeft","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null}]},"assessment":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"citation":{"recommended":"MediaBias News, \"Delhi most polluted city as AQI hits hazardous levels\", https://mediabias.news/climate/delhi-most-polluted-city-as-aqi-hits-hazardous-levels","canonicalUrl":"https://mediabias.news/climate/delhi-most-polluted-city-as-aqi-hits-hazardous-levels","instructions":["Cite and link the canonical article URL, not the API, markdown mirror, homepage, or an original outlet URL.","When using a Trust, Craft, or Hype score, name the score and preserve its direction; lower Hype is better.","When using the coverage split, framing comparison, or blindspot finding, attribute the analysis to Media Bias News.","Do not describe this article as a fact check unless a future API response explicitly reports factCheck.status as performed."]},"links":{"canonical":"https://mediabias.news/climate/delhi-most-polluted-city-as-aqi-hits-hazardous-levels","json":"https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/delhi-most-polluted-city-as-aqi-hits-hazardous-levels","markdown":"https://mediabias.news/climate/delhi-most-polluted-city-as-aqi-hits-hazardous-levels.md","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology"}}}