Delhi's air becomes unbreathable as winter approaches - what's happening now?
New Delhiʼs air-quality hits dangerous levels as winter season begins. Farm fires and urban pollution create toxic mix while nearby cities face similar environmental issues
New Delhiʼs air-quality meters show scary numbers this Nov-5th as winter-time pollution takes over the mega-city. The earth sciences ministryʼs data shows that air has become really bad in many areas (with some spots getting AQI readings over 400)
The cityʼs pollution comes from different places: cars smoke construction-site dust and farm-fires from nearby states Punjab and Haryana make it worse. The ministry says air will stay bad till next thursday; its gonna be either very-poor or severe which means even healthy people might get sick
- Cars and trucks releasing smoke
- Building sites making dust
- Farmers burning crop waste
- Cold winter air trapping everything
The data shows farm-fires are getting worse - they now make up 23% of the citys pollution (up from 15% just last weekend). More than 1/3rd of the citys 39 checking stations show severe readings‚ way off from what experts say is good air
Across the border Lahore in Pakistan is having its own air problems. Their govt thinks some pollution comes from India; they want to talk about it thru diplomatic channels. Right now New Delhi is the worlds second-most polluted city after Lahore (according to IQAirʼs latest rankings)
