India’s pollution control board warns of air emergency in New Delhi.
On Saturday, the Supreme Court suggested imposing a pollution lockdown on Delhi to help with the air quality crisis.
“How will we live otherwise?” Said Chief Justice NV Ramana.
The burning of agricultural waste in Delhi’s neighboring states, largely below the megacity’s pollution levels each winter, has continued despite a Supreme Court ban.
The number of agricultural fires this season has been the highest in four years, according to government data.
At this month’s COP26 world climate summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made clear that carbon reduction promises from India and other developing nations would require funding from rich and historic emitters.
A 2020 report by the Swiss organization IQAir found that 22 of the 30 most polluted cities in the world were in India, and Delhi was ranked as the most polluted capital globally.
The same year, The Lancet said that 1.67 million deaths were attributable to air pollution in India in 2019, including nearly 17,500 in the capital.