Delhi smog explained: Why air turned hazardous and early respite looks bleak
India TodayIt’s not just Delhi that is under a blanket of the annual early-winter smog, making the city’s air hazardous for its 20 million residents. Despite many dissuasive efforts, including the threat of financial penalties, many farmers in Delhi’s neighbouring states continue to burn crop stubble, worsening air pollution. Punjab’s 7,029 fires since September 15 were 70 per cent fewer than the 23,730 fires reported in the corresponding period in 2023 and 82 per cent fewer than the 40,677 fires in 2022. What’s worse, weather forecasts in the near future suggest winds not strong enough to dispel the pollutants, which means air quality will stay “very poor”. There was a 9 per cent increase in average concentration in air pollution in 2023-24 as against 2019-20, the CSE’s analysis found.