NEW DELHI: Smog hit “hazardous” levels in New Delhi on Thursday as smoke from thousands of crop fires in northern India combined with other pollutants to create a noxious grey cocktail enveloping the megacity.

Levels of the most dangerous particles — PM2.5, so tiny they can enter the bloodstream — were 588 per cubic metre early on Thursday morning, according to monitoring firm IQAir.

That is almost 40 times the daily maximum recommended by the World Health Organisation. IQAir rated overall pollution levels as “hazardous”.

“This is really the worst time to be out in Delhi. One never wakes up fresh with this pollution,” policeman Hem Raj, 42, said.

“The body feels tired and lethargic in the morning... The eyes are always watery and throat scratchy after spending hours on Delhi’s roads,” he said.

Every winter, cooler air, smoke from farmers burning stubble, and emissions from vehicles and other sources combine to create a deadly smog reducing visibility in the city of 20 million people.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2022