‘Severe’ air is coming. Here’s the X-factor behind Delhi’s winter poison
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: In its horizontal expanse, the history of Delhi engulfs the rise and fall of many empires: from the Indraprastha of the epics to the Rajput kings, the Sultans, the Mughals and the British, to being the nerve centre of the world’s largest democracy. And like its layers of history, Delhi’s seasons were once famed, particularly its harsh winter.
Once upon a time,Dilli ki Sardi had its distinct charm—this was the time to soak the sun outdoors, crack warm moongphali (peanut in shell) and savour the streetsidegajar ka halwa. Delhi’s winters are now quantified in more morbid terms: air quality index and particulate matter. The sources of toxic smog which hangs like a shroud over the city every winter are diligently enumerated, like the many layers of history.
While some pollutant sources are round-the-year phenomenon, like emissions from vehicles and industries in the neighbourhood, others are transient, like stubble burning and biomass burning for winter heating. The 2023 World Air Quality report by IQAir, a global air quality monitoring platform, found Delhi to be the most polluted city on the planet with an annual PM 2.5 reading of 92.7 micrograms/cubic meter. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers a PM 2.5 reading of less than or equal to 5 to be permissible, while Indian air quality standards place it at a much higher 40 micrograms/cubic meter.
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