Northern India smothered in hazardous smog, smoke layer visible from space
Air quality readings across wide swaths of northern India this week are well above hazardous levels for the fourth consecutive day, leading to school closures and pleas from government officials to limit driving.
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NEW DELHI, India – Days of worsening smog and smoke are creating a murky layer so thick that the dangerous haze can be seen from space.
Air quality readings across wide swaths of northern India this week are well above hazardous levels for the fourth consecutive day, leading to school closures and pleas from government officials to limit driving.
WHAT IS A TEMPERATURE INVERSION AND WHY CAN IT LEAD TO POOR AIR QUALITY?
NASA MODIS satellite image of India taken on Nov. 6, 2023.
(NASA)
NASA’s MODIS satellite showed a milky haze draped over much of northern India Monday as IQAir listed Delhi as having the worst air quality in the world Tuesday with a reading of 481, with some air quality monitors getting readings over 500, denoting hazardous air.
Photos from the region show skylines and horizons obscured – the iconic Taj Mahal barely visible from just yards away. Delhi’s airport has reported visibility at a mile or less for the majority of the past week.
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Image 1 of 6TOPSHOT - Tourists sit against the backdrop of Taj Mahal amid smoggy conditions in Agra on November 7, 2023. (Photo by Pawan SHARMA / AFP) (Photo by PAWAN SHARMA/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 2 of 6Commuters make their way along a road amid heavy smoggy conditions in Amritsar on November 6, 2023. (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP) (Photo by NARINDER NANU/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 3 of 6GHAZIABAD, INDIA - NOVEMBER 5: Commuters out on a smoggy morning amid rising air pollution levels at Delhi Meerut Expressway near Lal Kuan on November 5, 2023 in Ghaziabad, India. Stringent measures were enforced in Delhi as the air quality deteriorated to 'severe plus' levels due to unfavorable winds and increased farm fires across northern India. The toxic haze persisted over Delhi-NCR for the sixth consecutive day, posing significant challenges for individuals with respiratory problems. (Photo by Sakib Ali/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 4 of 6NEW DELHI, INDIA - NOVEMBER 07: Commuters make their way past the presidential palace amid smoggy conditions in New Delhi, India on November 07, 2023. Air Quality Index between 401 and 500 is considered to be 'severe'. According to the CPCB, AQI in the severe category affects healthy people and seriously impacts those with existing diseases. (Photo by Amarjeet Kumar Singh/Anadolu via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 5 of 6NEW DELHI, INDIA - NOVEMBER 5: Passanger plane ready to take off at IGI Airport , Heavy smog engulf the city as AQI turns " Severe Plus " on November 5, 2023 in New Delhi, India. Stringent measures were enforced in Delhi as the air quality deteriorated to 'severe plus' levels due to unfavorable winds and increased farm fires across northern India. The toxic haze persisted over Delhi-NCR for the sixth consecutive day, posing significant challenges for individuals with respiratory problems. (Photo by Vipin Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 6 of 6NEW DELHI, INDIA - NOVEMBER 5: Thick layer of smog on Tilak Marg near Supreme Court as Delhi's air quality remains very poor on November 5, 2023 in New Delhi, India. Stringent measures were enforced in Delhi as the air quality deteriorated to 'severe plus' levels due to unfavorable winds and increased farm fires across northern India. The toxic haze persisted over Delhi-NCR for the sixth consecutive day, posing significant challenges for individuals with respiratory problems. (Photo by Arvind Yadav/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) ( )
And there has been little relief as the wintertime weather pattern settles in. Reuters says Delhi routinely ranks among the worst air qualities in the world at the onset of winter as clear skies allow the surface to cool at night.
The dense, cold air near the ground creates an inversion that traps pollutants from cars and industry from heavily populated urban centers near the surface. Widespread smoke and residue from farmers burning crop fields at the end of the harvest adds to the particulate concentration.
In Delhi, primary schools remain closed through at least Nov. 10, according to Reuters, and the government will soon enact restrictions on vehicle traffic, limiting use to odd or even days depending on the vehicle license plate.