A THICK layer of toxic smog enveloped India's capital on Wednesday as air pollution, fuelled by stubble burning and fireworks, reached "hazardous" levels for the first time this winter, according to air quality monitors.
Commuters walking to work struggled to breathe in the polluted air, with some coughing through the smog. Despite health experts warning that thousands die each year due to air pollution, few in the city were seen wearing masks.
New Delhi’s iconic India Gate monument was shrouded in the heavy, foul-smelling mist as pollution levels soared. The city faces a recurring smog crisis each year, largely attributed to the burning of crop stubble by farmers in neighbouring states to prepare their fields for the next planting season.
The air quality is expected to deteriorate further during Diwali on 1 November, when fireworks that release harmful toxins are a key part of the celebrations.
On Wednesday, levels of PM2.5, fine particulate matter that enters the bloodstream through the lungs, surged to almost 23 times the World Health Organization’s recommended daily maximum. Air quality monitoring firm IQAir recorded pollutant levels at 344 micrograms per cubic metre, categorising Delhi’s air as "hazardous" and ranking it the worst in the world.
In response to the crisis, New Delhi authorities have imposed a "complete ban" on the manufacture and sale of firecrackers to curb pollution. However, previous bans have often been ignored, with police reluctant to enforce them due to the religious significance of firecrackers during Diwali celebrations.
Authorities have also prohibited the burning of crop stubble, and police in Haryana have arrested several farmers for setting fires this week.
Despite these measures, efforts to combat air pollution have had limited success. A 2019 study published in The Lancet linked air pollution to 1.67 million premature deaths in India that year, underlining the severity of the issue in the world’s most populous country.
(With inputs from AFP)
Some panic-stricken commuters reportedly considered jumping off the trains, but were eventually rescued safely (PTI photo)
