Every year when winter arrives, India's capital region is choked by smog and smoke. However, seasonal crop burning fires in neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana add to Delhi's air pollution. Unlike Mumbai,

Whatever the causes of the smog, by one ranking Delhi was not just the most polluted city in the world, but “nearly five times as bad as the second most polluted city, Dhaka,” in Bangladesh next door, as Shashi Tharoor, a leader of the opposition in Parliament and best-selling author, posted on X.

Unhealthy

Pollution levels in Chandigarh - India's first planned city, located about 240km (150 miles) from capital Delhi - have been at more than 15 times the safe limit recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for more than a month.

Strong surface winds (at speeds of 15km/hr) that had helped disperse pollutants on Sunday, dropped to near-calm levels of 4-6km/hr by Monday morning, leading to a haze engulfing the city again. Delhi’s 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 285 (“poor”) at 9am on Monday,

In response to worsening air quality, schools in Delhi and surrounding NCR cities are shifting to a hybrid learning model, combining online and physical classes for students. This decision follows a Supreme Court directive to relax online class restrictions,