Delhi's Air Crisis: A Choking Reality

Delhi and India's northern states continue to grapple with severe air pollution. Cold weather escalates the situation, trapping emissions and illegal farm smoke. With an AQI hitting hazardous levels, restrictions impact daily life. The heavy smog disrupts visibility, including around the iconic Taj Mahal.

In another grim episode of environmental distress, residents of India's northern states awoke to dangerously poor air quality on Tuesday. A thick veil of fog covered much of the region, leaving Delhi under severe pollution conditions.

Winter's cold heavy air traps dust and emissions, exacerbated by illegal farm fires in Punjab and Haryana. The pollution levels saw Delhi's air quality index (AQI) soar to a severe 491 on Monday, prompting government-imposed vehicular and construction activity restrictions, and shifting school classes online.

The air crisis's socio-economic repercussions are profound, impacting over 3.4 million enterprises across Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi. Meanwhile, visibility deteriorated significantly, shrouding India's emblematic Taj Mahal in smog for days.

(With inputs from agencies.)