The city of New Delhi continues to be the most polluted in the world this Tuesday despite the tightening, a week ago, of anti-pollution measures in the Indian capital, which continues to be covered in toxic smog. This Monday, the air quality index in New Delhi was 387 points, in the most dangerous range, according to the Swiss platform IQAir, which measures air pollution around the world in real time.
The concentration of PM2.5 particles, the most harmful to health, reached 337 micrograms per cubic meter at 11am yesterday, more than 67 times higher than the levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Last Tuesday, just a week ago, the city activated Phase III of its Graduated Pollution Response Plan (GRAP), banning non-essential construction and demolition activities, the use of private gasoline and diesel vehicles, and some non-essential commercial vehicles.
The plan still includes a final phase of restrictions, which has not yet been activated due to worsening environmental conditions in New Delhi in recent weeks. Every winter, weather conditions, emissions from vehicles and industries near the city, and stubble burning in states surrounding the capital cause pollution spikes in this huge city of more than 30 million people.
According to IQAir, the next three most polluted cities in the world this Tuesday were also in the Indian subcontinent, Pakistan’s Lahore and Karachi, and India’s Calcutta.
