Delhi, India, is currently suffering under what the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies as 'hazardous' air quality levels.
Data collated by IQAir for the city show how dangerously high the levels of PM2.5 (atmospheric particulate matter that have a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers) has become in the last week - rising significantly above the already (very) unhealthy level recorded in the days prior. According to the WHO, ambient air pollution is estimated to have caused 4.2 million premature deaths globally in 2019.
As reported by Reuters, regional officials have cited "a seasonal combination of lower temperatures, a lack of wind and crop stubble burning in neighboring farm states" as exacerbating the already dire situation and causing a spike in air pollutants. On Tuesday, India's Supreme Court ordered authorities in New Delhi's surrounding states to stop the burning of crop residue by farmers.
