Visual Report: India Choked by Alarming Levels of Air Contamination

New Delhi is in crisis. On Monday, November 18, schools were shut, and construction was halted after the city's air pollution reached the worst levels yet this year.

According to the Associated Press, in various parts of New Delhi, the levels of air pollution "were more than 50 times higher than the World Health Organization's recommended safe limit."

Here we can observe the contrast between what the Red Fort, located in the old quarters of the city looks like on a clear day  versus what it looked like while engulfed in thick smog that was suffocating New Delhi on November 18.

The BBC reported that India's pollution control authority classified the air pollution in New Delhi as "severe plus" on November 18.

Despite the warnings from authorities to stay home, people were still seen out on the streets. Here, we see pedestrians walking along the Kartavya Path, engulfed in thick smog, near India Gate.

Although some residents have been complaining on social media about the terrible quality of the air in the city, even according to the A.P. describing the city as "apocalyptic" and a "gas chamber," other residents of New Delhi could be seen exercising in the city's parks amidst the horrible smog.

The BBC highlights that in addition to closing schools and the ban on construction work, Delhi has also banned all non-essential trucks from entering the city and requested that offices allow at least 50% of their staff to work from home during the week, as forecasts predict the air quality will only worsen over the course of the week.

Air pollution is nothing new in New Delhi, the north of India, and Pakistan. According to the Associated Press, from October to January, several elements culminate in horrendous air quality each winter.

Farmers typically burn their crop stubble in the winter months, which, combined with lower temperatures, slower wind speeds, and emissions from factories and vehicles, create dangerous air conditions.

Residents have grown used to government warnings about air quality each year and they have also become frustrated. According to the BBC, Delhi residents have been venting on X (formerly Twitter), making comments such as a call for a "peaceful mass protest on the streets" due to the toxic air they are forced to breathe.

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