The winter-time air crisis in South Asia has reached a new peak - famous landmarks dont show up on tourist photos anymore. The iconic Taj Mahal in Agra became hard-to-spot through thick smog while the Golden Temple in Amritsar disappeared in grey-ish haze
Air travel got hit hard: Delhiʼs airport faced serious issues with take-offs and landings (visibility dropped to just 300m). About 88% of planes couldnt leave on time; more than half arrived late. The weather mix of low temps humidity and no wind made things worse
Local doctors report growing health problems. Dr Sahab Ram from Punjabʼs medical center sees more kids coming in: “Theres been a quick rise in allergies cough and cold cases; asthma attacks are up too“
The main trouble-makers behind this mess include:
- Farm-fire smoke from Punjab and Haryana fields
- City pollution from cars and factories
- Weather patterns trapping bad air
- Dust from construction sites
Delhis air-quality index hit 430 - way above the good score of 50; while Lahore in Pakistan topped the worlds most-polluted cities list. Weather experts say the air might stay bad through friday but could get a bit better after that