Delhi pollution: 'Apocalyptic' air engulfs Indian capital as subcontinent chokes on toxic smog

Locals in New Delhi complain of breathing difficulty

Drivers and cyclists navigate thick smog in New Delhi on Wednesday. EPA

Air quality deteriorated to hazardous levels in New Delhi on Wednesday as toxic smog blanketed India, leaving residents of the capital complaining of “apocalyptic” scenes. The crisis also affected neighbouring Pakistan, with at least seven districts recording high levels of pollution.

The average air quality reading in New Delhi reached 366, placing it in the “very poor” category, according to India’s leading environmental authority, the Central Pollution Control Board. Swiss technology company IQAir, which analyses global pollution data, recorded an air quality index of 577 at noon and said New Delhi was the world's most polluted major city. A figure of more than 301 on its scale is considered “hazardous”.

The Indian capital has been enduring dangerous levels of smog in recent weeks as residents set off millions of fireworks for the Hindu festival of Diwali and farmers engage in the seasonal burning of crop waste. In Lahore, a city of 14 million and Pakistan’s cultural capital, the air quality index was recorded at 435 on Wednesday, according to IQAir. The reading was 700 on Tuesday and had on Monday reached 1,200.

“This is an apocalyptic situation,” New Delhi resident Maitri Deb told The National. "Nothing is visible because of this thick blanket of toxic pollution. The eyes are burning and I am feeling discomfort in breathing."

Neighbouring Indian cities were also affected by the smog, including Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Gurgaon. Experts say an air quality reading between 400 and 500 on the government's scale is equivalent to smoking 25 cigarettes a day.

The concentration of harmful PM2.5 particles in the air was 332 microns per cubic metre, more than 22 times the World Health Organisation's safe limit, according to IQAir. These fine particles penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream and are blamed for chronic respiratory and cardiac diseases.

Visibility in the morning was down to about 100 metres in New Delhi, according to the India Meteorological Department, as pollutants combined with winter fog and mist, prompting authorities at the city's airport to issue an alert.

“While landings and take-offs continue at New Delhi airport, flights that are not CAT III compliant may be affected,” Indira Gandhi International Airport said.

CAT III is a navigation system that enables aircraft to land in low visibility.

Authorities have rolled out several measures in recent years in a bid to tackle the smog, including switching to electric buses and at times banning construction. However, air pollution remains severe, especially in November and December.

Last week, Delhi’s Environment Minister Gopal Rai said officials were keen to use cloud seeding to fight the problem in the hope that it would disperse the pollutants.

The Supreme Court this week ruled that it was a “fundamental right” to live in a pollution-free environment and reprimanded the government for a failure to enforce a ban on fireworks over Diwali that the court introduced in 2018.

Rawalpindi, Pakistan’s third-largest city, reported a reading of 300 on Wednesday, while Multan recorded 293, IQAir said. The two cities are in Punjab province, where more than 40,000 people have reportedly been treated for respiratory ailments since last month.

The UN Children's Fund warned this week that more than 11 million children in Pakistan's Punjab were exposed to health risks due to the unprecedented levels of air pollution. Authorities have closed educational institutions and public spaces for a week as a precaution.