(New Delhi, October 20) - Air pollution in India's capital, New Delhi, has worsened, shrouding the city in a thick, toxic haze on Monday (October 20). Air pollution levels soared to over 16 times the World Health Organization's recommended daily maximum.
Data from Swiss air quality technology company IQAir shows that concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5) in parts of New Delhi reached 248 micrograms per cubic meter, a very severe level.
Nevertheless, the Indian government's Air Quality Management Committee said air quality is expected to deteriorate further in the coming days.
The Indian government has implemented a series of measures to control pollution, including requiring relevant departments to ensure uninterrupted power supply and reduce the use of diesel generators. Municipal authorities recently announced that they will test artificial cloud seeding with aircraft in New Delhi for the first time this month to purify the air.
The New Delhi metropolitan area, with a population of over 30 million, is frequently ranked as one of the world's most polluted capitals. Every winter, the capital is shrouded in smog. The cooler air traps pollutants near the ground, mixing with emissions from crop burning, factories, and traffic, filling the air with a pungent odor. Monday marked Diwali (known as Deepavali in Singapore), and fireworks set off by devotees in the days leading up to it further polluted the air.
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A study last year in the British medical journal The Lancet Planetary Health estimated that 3.8 million deaths in India were linked to air pollution from 2009 to 2019; UNICEF warned that polluted air increases the risk of acute respiratory infections in children.
