Farmers work amidst smog in a field on the bank of the Yamuna river in New Delhi, India, November 8, 2022. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
A smoky haze hangs over India's northern plains and its capital, New Delhi, every year as winter sets in, raising fears for the health of many millions of people as authorities order fixes that do little to clear the air.
In recent days, the Air Quality Index in the capital of 20 million people, where few use air purifiers or wear masks to protect themselves, has risen above 350 on a scale of 500, near "very poor" levels, according to the SAFAR monitoring agency.
Hindu devotees gather to worship the Sun God amidst heavy smog in the early morning during the Hindu religious festival of Chatth Puja, on the bank of the Yamuna river in New Delhi, India, October 31, 2022. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Anything above 60 is considered unhealthy.
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The index measures levels of airborne PM2.5 particles that can be carried deep into the lungs, causing deadly diseases including cancer and cardiac problems.
Hindu devotees gather to worship the Sun God amidst heavy smog in the early morning during the Hindu religious festival of Chatth Puja, on the bank of the Yamuna river in New Delhi, India, October 31, 2022. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
The rainy season usually ends in September and come October, the air quality starts deteriorating as cooler temperatures and a drop in the wind trap pollutants in the atmosphere for longer.
The pollution gets worse in November, exacerbated by the burning of crop stubble in Punjab and Haryana states, part of the farm belt that borders New Delhi.
Farmers in the bread-basket states are at the forefront of the adoption of mechanised farming, and are increasingly using harvesters to bring in the rice crop.
A couple poses during a pre-wedding photoshoot amidst the morning smog, on the bank of the Yamuna river in the old quarters of Delhi, India, November 18, 2022. On November 18 at 07:00 IST, Dilshad Garden, the closest monitoring station, registered a PM 2.5 reading of 317. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
But unlike with manual harvesting, the machines leave stubble and paddy straw in the field.
Farmers, with only a short window to prepare their fields for winter crops, burn off the stubble and straw, sending sooty smoke drifting from the land and accounting for about a quarter of north India's air pollution, experts say.
New Delhi generates much of its own pollution so things get no better in December, when the stubble burning is largely over.
A Hindu man walks amidst heavy smog after praying on the bank of the river Yamuna, in the old quarters of Delhi, India, November 4, 2022. On November 4 at 09:00 IST, Sector 125 in Noida, the closest monitoring station, registered a PM 2.5 reading of 356. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
The capital's nearly 10 million vehicles, more than the other three major cities of Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata combined, churn out exhaust fumes while industrial emissions, dust from construction sites and smoke from household fires adds to the murky mix.
The rapidly expanding city is losing the few patches of oxygen-producing forest it had around it and illegal miners are grinding down a range of nearby hills to feed the construction industry with gravel, and removing a natural barrier to dust from the Thar Desert.
When the smog gets too bad, authorities ban construction work and close schools to protect children but they acknowledge they just don't have the resources to clamp down effectively on illegal industries and to enforce emission rules.
A man sails his boat amidst heavy smog in the Yamuna river, in the old quarters of Delhi, India, November 4, 2022. On November 4 at 08:00 IST, Patparganj, the closest monitoring station, registered a PM 2.5 reading of 500, maxing out the scale. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
The Supreme Court has rebuked officials for their failure to clear the air and has asked the government of Delhi, its neighbouring states and federal authorities to work together to improve it.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party does not govern Delhi - it is run by the opposition Aam Aadmi Party - and there's little cooperation between them.
It's nature that brings some improvement with warmer weather ending the atmospheric conditions that trap the smog before the return of the rains in around June.
A girl waits for her friends to go to school amidst the morning smog in New Delhi, India, November 18, 2022. On November 18 at 07:00 IST, Dilshad Garden, the closest monitoring station, registered a PM 2.5 reading of 317. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
(Reporting by Mayank Bhardwaj; Editing by Robert Birsel)
A car drives past the India Gate amidst heavy smog in New Delhi, India, November 3, 2022. On November 3 at 11:00 IST, Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, the closest monitoring station, registered a PM 2.5 reading of 453. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi People walk through heavy smog outside their homes on the Yamuna river bed in New Delhi, India, November 3, 2022. On November 3 at 11:00 IST, Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, the closest monitoring station, registered a PM 2.5 reading of 453. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi A bird flies next to the smog-covered Akshardham temple in New Delhi, India, November 4, 2022. On November 4 at 08:00 IST, Patparganj, the closest monitoring station, registered a PM 2.5 reading of 500, maxing out the scale. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi Residential buildings under construction are seen shrouded in heavy smog in Noida, on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, November 6, 2022. On November 6 at 10:00 IST, Sector 116 in Noida, , the closest monitoring station, registered a PM 2.5 reading of 398. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi People walk in front of Humayun's Tomb amidst the morning smog in New Delhi, India, November 6, 2022. On November 6 at 07:00 IST, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi, the closest monitoring station, registered a PM 2.5 reading of 371. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi Traffic moves along a highway amidst haze and smog in New Delhi, India, November 18, 2022. On November 18 at 22:00 IST, Indirapuram, the closest monitoring station, registered a PM 2.5 reading of 256. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi Indian Army soldiers stand guard amidst the heavy smog under the statue of Subhas Chandra Bose behind the India Gate in New Delhi, India, November 6, 2022. On November 6 at 08:00 IST, Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, the closest monitoring station, registered a PM 2.5 reading of 367. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi Traffic moves slowly amidst smog on a flyover in New Delhi, India, November 29, 2022. On November 29 at 18:00 IST, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi, the closest monitoring station, registered a PM 2.5 reading of 233. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi Farmers work in a field amidst afternoon smog on the bank of the Yamuna river in New Delhi, India, November 8, 2022. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi A farmer walks amidst morning smog in a field on the bank of the Yamuna river in New Delhi, India, November 12, 2022. On November 12 at 07:00 IST, Sonia Vihar, the closest monitoring station, registered a PM 2.5 reading of 472. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi A woman sleeps in a field amidst afternoon smog on the bank of the Yamuna river in New Delhi, India, November 8, 2022. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi Students from a slum area attend an open-air class amidst the morning smog, on the bank of the Yamuna river in New Delhi, India, November 12, 2022. On November 12 at 07:00 IST, Sonia Vihar, the closest monitoring station, registered a PM 2.5 reading of 472. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi A man washes his clothes on a smoggy morning in the Yamuna river in New Delhi, India, November 12, 2022. On November 12 at 07:00 IST, Sonia Vihar, the closest monitoring station, registered a PM 2.5 reading of 472. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi People play cricket amidst heavy smog, at a field in New Delhi, India, November 12, 2022. On November 12 at 07:00 IST, Sonia Vihar, the closest monitoring station, registered a PM 2.5 reading of 472. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi A washerman loads laundry onto a cart amidst the morning smog, on the bank of the Yamuna river in New Delhi, India, November 18, 2022. On November 18 at 07:00 IST, Dilshad Garden, the closest monitoring station, registered a PM 2.5 reading of 317. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi A man bathes outside his house amidst morning smog on the bank of the Yamuna river in New Delhi, India, November 18, 2022. On November 18 at 07:00 IST, Dilshad Garden, the closest monitoring station, registered a PM 2.5 reading of 317. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi A man walks amidst heavy smog after taking a bath in the Yamuna river in New Delhi, India, November 18, 2022. On November 18 at 07:00 IST, Dilshad Garden, the closest monitoring station, registered a PM 2.5 reading of 317. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
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