Delhi has been blanketed with toxic smog since Diwali when thousands of people burst firecrackers in celebration of the festival. Air quality in Delhi is already very poor but it becomes worst due to open fires, vehicle exhaust fumes, industrial emissions and the burning of crop residues in neighbouring states. China’s capital city Beijing, one of the world’s most polluted metropolis. The density of some harmful particles and droplets in the air has spiked post Diwali and can even reach up to 42 times the safe limit.
(Photo Credits: Getty Images)
A 2015 study found about half of Delhi’s 4.4 million schoolchildren had compromised lung capacity and would never completely recover.
India has world’s highest rate of death from respiratory disease, according to the World Health Organisation
Smog released by Diwali firecrackers is worsened by the seasonally cooler temperature and slowing winds.
PM2.5 particles and droplets are considered to be the most harmful kind of air pollution
Short term exposure may lead to coughing, eye and throat infection. The photographs manifest the choking levels of air pollution in Delhi.
