Smog forces abandonment of India–South Africa T20I in Lucknow; government clarifies AQI

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government issued a statement confirming that Lucknow’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 174, placing it in the moderate category, after the fourth T20 international between India and South Africa was abandoned on Wednesday night. 

Following the cancellation, authorities cautioned the public against relying on misleading figures circulating on social media and private air quality applications.

The match was called off due to poor visibility caused by a thick layer of smog engulfing the Ekana Stadium. 

The government said confusion was being fuelled by hyper-local and non-standardised data from several private platforms, many of which use foreign benchmarks such as those of the US Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA). In India, air quality is assessed under the National Air Quality Index (NAQI), which follows different parameters and thresholds.

Officials stressed that certified monitoring stations in Lucknow — including Lalbagh, Talkatora and Aliganj — employ calibrated instruments, whereas many private agencies depend on satellite inputs or uncalibrated sensors prone to higher margins of error. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), they added, provides AQI data based on a scientific 24-hour average, offering a more accurate and comprehensive picture of the city’s air quality.

By contrast, private apps often display momentary spikes caused by dust, traffic congestion or localised activity, which do not reflect the overall situation. Experts noted that differences in monitoring technology and standards frequently render such data misleading.

The statement further emphasised that the CPCB model is tailored to Indian geographical, climatic and environmental conditions, unlike many foreign-based systems that are not fully suited to the country.

PTI