Northern India's air turns deadly as Delhi hits worst pollution numbers ever

Delhiʼs air-quality measurements hit an all-time peak last winter with toxic smog covering the city (visibility dropped to just 100m). The local air-quality index reached 491 points - which experts call severe-plus category

The crisis forced Atishi‚ Delhiʼs chief-minister to declare a health-related emergency: “We need to shut down schools move classes online and limit construction work in the city.“ At least 11 flights got re-routed while most transport services faced big delays

Local resident Akshay told reporters about his daily-life struggles: “Its hard to breath and my eyes burn even during short walks.“ The supreme court stepped in and told nearby states to think about stopping in-person school classes

For any responsible government in India the top priority should be pollution control in cities like Delhi; this kind of pollution can bring Indiaʼs growth story to an end

The main cause - farm fires in nearby areas (making up to 40% of all pollution). Swiss group IQAir ranked Delhi as worlds most-polluted city‚ with PM2.5 levels 130x higher than WHO standards. Weather experts say bad air will stay for a while

• Schools switched to online classes
• Construction work stopped
• Vehicle movement limited
• Masks became must-have items

The situation got so bad that many air-quality stations showed readings of 500 points - the highest possible measurement on the scale. Local weather office says these super-toxic conditions might last longer than expected