📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Alec Wilson from Hampton-in-Arden, UK
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Bikaner’s AQI Hits 1,357, Making It India’s Most Polluted City
✍️ News18
🗓 04 Nov 2026, 10:16 AM
👁 15
The air quality index in Bikaner surged to 1,357, the highest reading recorded in India, placing the Rajasthan city at the top of the nation’s pollution rankings.
Recent measurements released by the Central Pollution Control Board show Bikaner’s Air Quality Index soaring to 1,357, a level that classifies the air as hazardous and makes the city the most polluted in the country.
The spike follows a series of high readings across northern India, with Bathinda in Punjab recording the second‑highest AQI. Health experts warn that such concentrations can trigger severe respiratory problems, especially for children, the elderly and those with pre‑existing conditions.
State authorities have issued advisories urging residents to limit outdoor activities, wear masks and keep windows closed. The Rajasthan government is also coordinating with the CPCB to deploy additional monitoring stations and explore short‑term measures such as water sprinkling on roads to curb dust.
Environmental NGOs have called for a longer‑term strategy, citing the need for stricter industrial emissions controls and greater investment in clean energy to prevent future episodes of extreme pollution.
The spike follows a series of high readings across northern India, with Bathinda in Punjab recording the second‑highest AQI. Health experts warn that such concentrations can trigger severe respiratory problems, especially for children, the elderly and those with pre‑existing conditions.
State authorities have issued advisories urging residents to limit outdoor activities, wear masks and keep windows closed. The Rajasthan government is also coordinating with the CPCB to deploy additional monitoring stations and explore short‑term measures such as water sprinkling on roads to curb dust.
Environmental NGOs have called for a longer‑term strategy, citing the need for stricter industrial emissions controls and greater investment in clean energy to prevent future episodes of extreme pollution.