Air pollution in India’s New Delhi reaches ‘severe’ level

New Delhi, which is the capital city of India, has found itself engulfed in smog as its air pollution has reached a “severe” level.

Concentrations of fine particles in the air were recorded at approximately three times above the acceptable limits as the arrival of winter has caused the city’s pollution to get worse.

“As the minimum temperature is dropping, gradual fog occurrence during early morning hours is likely to increase, leading to deterioration of air quality index (AQI),” the federal government’s System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) said in daily bulletin, according to Reuters.

SAFAR confirmed that they expect New Delhi to experience further poor air quality for the next few days.

The AQI noted that parts of the city reached above 400 on Tuesday, which the Central Pollution Control Board ranks as “severe.” The dangers of this level of air pollution can often cause respiratory illness and other health effects.

As Reuters reported, officials have proposed many measures in the last few years aimed at improving the city’s air quality. Such proposals included switching public transportation to cleaner fuel, spraying water from on top of towers and on roads and burning firewood and waste en masse during winter.