Smog in New Delhi hit "hazardous" levels on Thursday as smoke from thousands of crop fires in northern India c…
Smog in New Delhi hit "hazardous" levels on Thursday as smoke from thousands of crop fires in northern India combined with other pollutants to create a noxious gray cocktail enveloping the megacity.
Levels of the most dangerous particles - PM2.5, so tiny they can enter the bloodstream - were 588 per cubic meter early on Thursday morning, according to monitoring firm IQAir.
That is almost 40 times the daily maximum recommended by the World Health Organization.
IQAir rated overall pollution levels as "hazardous."
Every winter, cooler air, smoke from farmers burning stubble, and emissions from vehicles and other sources combine to create a deadly smog reducing visibility in the city of 20 million people.
In 2020 a Lancet study attributed 1.67 million deaths to air pollution in India in 2019, including almost 17,500 in the capital.
Delhi authorities regularly announce different plans to reduce the pollution, for example by halting construction work, but to little effect.
The burning of rice paddies after harvests across Punjab and other states persists every year despite efforts to persuade farmers to use different methods.
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