Dikhyaa Mohanty 
On Thursday, Odisha’s air pollution level exceeded that of New Delhi, the nation’s capital. Over the past several days, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in many Odisha cities has become worse, rising beyond 300 and being classified as extremely bad. By 11 a.m., several Odisha cities had pollution levels so severe that they even outpaced Delhi. At least three of Odisha’s cities were among the top five most polluted in the nation.
With an AQI of 336 on Thursday, Balasore is regarded as the most polluted city in the nation, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) daily report. With an AQI of 324, the industrial town of Talcher came in second on this list. With an AQI of 304, Baripada in the Mayurbhanj district is ranked as the nation’s fifth most polluted city.
Remarkably, Delhi’s AQI is merely 218. Environmentalists stated that Odisha’s poor AQI highlights the urgency of taking action to reduce air pollution.
