‘Pollution of Delhi has now reached Lucknow’: Akhilesh flags concerns as India-SA match cancelled

Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav raised concerns over the deteriorating air quality in Uttar Pradesh after a cricket match between South Africa and India was cancelled due to smog in Lucknow.

"The pollution of Delhi has now reached Lucknow. This is not fog but smog. That is why the international match is not being played here," Yadav said in a post on Wednesday night.

He also targeted the Yogi Adityanath government, accusing it of damaging parks developed for clean air in Lucknow by permitting events and activities there. 

“We built parks to preserve Lucknow's clean air, yet the BJP government wants to ruin them by organising investment events there. The BJP is neither concerned about the people nor the environment,” he said.

The former chief minister also advised residents to cover their faces while stepping out in the city. 

The fourth T20 International between India and South Africa was called off on Wednesday due to poor visibility caused by a dense layer of smog at the Ekana Stadium.

The state government, meanwhile, issued a statement, saying that Lucknow's air quality index (AQI) was at 174, indicating a moderate level of air quality.

It also cautioned the public against relying on misleading figures circulated on social media and other platforms based on private air quality applications.

According to officials, the monitoring stations in Lucknow, including Lalbagh, Talkatora and Aliganj, use certified and calibrated instruments, while many private agencies depend on satellite-based inputs or uncalibrated sensors, which are prone to higher margins of error.

They said the AQI data released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) is based on a scientific assessment of the 24-hour average, providing a realistic and comprehensive picture of the city's air quality.