Deadly wildfires continue to rage Los Angeles, yet its AQI is better than Delhi's

Firefighters battle the fire in the Angeles National Forest near Mt. Wilson as the wildfires burn in the Los Angeles area. (Courtesy: Reuters)

Los Angeles is battling horrific wildfires for days that have charred hillsides, homes and streets. The fires have so far killed 10 people, destroyed nearly 10,000 structures and prompted at least 1,30,000 residents to evacuate. Aerial footage captured huge areas of the wildfire-ravaged US city looking like a charred war zone. Despite fire engulfing half of Los Angeles, the air quality of the city remains to be better compared to Delhi.

The air quality index (AQI) of Los Angeles was recorded at 158 on January 10, far better than the air quality of Delhi which is infamous for smog. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhi's AQI was recorded at 373 ('very poor' category).

"Half of LA is on fire, but the air is still cleaner than Delhi's," posted an X user while comparing the AQI of Los Angeles with the Indian capital city.

Half of LA is on fire, but the air is still cleaner than Delhis https://t.co/hQrRvjZFXI pic.twitter.com/AdLVYRkK4u
Abhinav Kukreja (@kukreja_abhinav) January 9, 2025

Netizens, while responding to the X user, commented that LA's air quality is better than Mumbai's too.

According to the CPCB air quality bulletin, Delhi's AQI at 9 am was recorded in the "severe" category with a reading of 408. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".

The Centre's panel on Delhi-NCR's air quality on January 9 re-implemented stage 3 curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) amid a sharp rise in air pollution levels owing to unfavourable meteorological conditions.

GRAP Stage 3 entails a ban on non-essential construction work. Classes up to grade V are required to shift to hybrid mode under Stage 3. Under Stage 3, the use of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel cars (4-wheelers) is restricted in Delhi and nearby NCR districts. Persons with disabilities are exempt.

According to a study, breathing Delhi's polluted air is equivalent to smoking approximately 10 cigarettes a day.