India’s capital woke up to a toxic haze blanketing the city on Monday and a warning that the air quality would deteriorate further to “severe” category later this week.
Slow wind and the onset of winter are expected to push Delhi towards an air pollution emergency, with some parts of the city recording 500 on the air quality index, which is considered "severe", according to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi saw an overall AQI of 316 on Monday, with at least 28 monitoring stations reporting "very poor" readings of above 300.
The concentration of fine particulate matter PM2.5 was recorded at 168 micrograms per cubic metre, far exceeding the WHO limit of 15.
The National Capital Region, home to some 30 million people, routinely ranks among the world’s most polluted.
India accounts for six of the 10 most polluted cities globally and Delhi is the most polluted capital, according to a report from Swiss air quality monitoring database IQAir.
Air quality worsens in Delhi every winter as farmers burn crop residue in nearby states and cooler conditions trap the smoke, which mixes with vehicular and industrial emissions. Pollution levels often reach 20 times higher than the WHO safe limit.
Authorities have imposed construction bans, restricted the use of diesel generators, and deployed water sprinklers and anti-smog guns to curb the haze. However, critics say there needs to be a long-term solution that drastically reduces pollution itself, instead of actions that seek to mitigate the effects after it has already plagued the region.
Authorities recently initiated a cloud-seeding project over Delhi to combat the severe air pollution, but it failed due to a lack of moisture in the air.
Delhi’s local government has been accused of trying to fudge AQI data by sprinkling water around monitoring stations. Opposition parties have also criticised the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of spending large sums on air purifiers for its own offices and leaving ordinary residents to choke on hazardous air.
The local government has purportedly spent nearly £5,200 on 15 “smart” air purifiers for the Delhi secretariat, according to a document shared by opposition politician Mahua Moitra.
The secretariat houses the ministries of the local government.
Despite the hazardous air, meanwhile, the Indian Air Force held a marathon in the city on Sunday.
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