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Top 10 highest AQI cities in India at 5.30 pm today (October 16): MP’s Sagar tops chart

Top 10 Highest AQI Level Cities in India Today at 5.30 PM (October 16, 2025): Check here the top 10 highest AQI cities in India with their air quality index (AQI) and pollution levels. Find out which Indian cities are most polluted today and check health advisories.

air pollution, AQI,File photo of a man sitting in the backdrop of stubble burning, a known cause of air pollution. (AP file photo)
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Top 10 highest AQI cities today: With the temperatures dropping in the country, especially in North India, the air quality is dropping too. The AQI, an indicator of air pollution, is rising quickly in multiple cities. In several cities, the air is nothing short of toxic.

At 5.30 pm on Thursday, October 16, Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar topped the list of the most polluted cities in India, falling under the ‘poor’ category with an AQI of 264 followed by Sasroli in Haryana’s Jhajjar district with an AQI of 263.

The top 10 cities with the highest AQI in India were in the ‘poor’ category, as per AQI monitoring agency aqi.in.

Rank City AQI Status
1. Sagar 264 Poor
2. Sasroli 263 Poor
3. Narnaul 257 Poor
4. Panchkula 254 Poor
5. Maihar 230 Poor
6. Narasannapeta 227 Poor
7. Begampur 227 Poor
8. Kaimla 223 Poor
9. Bahadurgarh 222 Poor
10. Vishakhapatnam 213 Poor

These were cities with the highest AQI in the world at 5.30 pm.

The AQI reading is categorised as Good (0-50), Satisfactory (51-100), Moderately Polluted (101-200), Poor (201-300), Very Poor (301-400), and Severe (401-500). Thus, higher the AQI reading, the unhealthier it gets to breathe.

What should residents do

As the AQI is rising, residents are advised to wear masks and stay indoors to avoid breathing in the polluted air. Health experts also advise against outdoor walking, jogging, or exercising due to the presence of pollutants in the air.

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