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If you woke up in <keyword id="19900881" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="delhi" source="keywords">Delhi</keyword> recently, you might have noticed more than just the nip in the air – a thick, toxic smog has blanketed the city, turning the air almost unbreathable. On Monday, Delhi’s <keyword id="19920379" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="air-quality-index" source="keywords">Air Quality Index</keyword> (<keyword id="19916482" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="aqi" source="keywords">AQI</keyword>) hit 481, placing it in the "severe plus" category. For context, the “severe” category begins at an AQI of 401, and anything above 450 poses serious health risks even for healthy individuals. According to Swiss group IQAir’s live rankings, Delhi is currently the most polluted city in the world, with an air quality score of 1,081 – a “hazardous” level that is 130.9 times the World Health Organization’s recommended limit for PM2.5. <h3 style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:14pt;margin-bottom:4pt;">Major contributors to Delhi’s smog</h3>The root causes of Delhi’s pollution are manifold: <ul><li>Stubble Burning: On Saturday, crop residue burning contributed 25% of Delhi’s air pollution. By Sunday, this figure had climbed to 40%, according to SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research). Satellites recorded 1,334 stubble-burning incidents in six northern states on Sunday alone, the highest number in four days.</li><li>Vehicles: On Sunday, vehicular emissions accounted for 15.8% of the city’s pollution, according to the Centre’s Decision Support System for Air Quality Management.</li><li>Construction Dust and Industrial Emissions: PM2.5, a deadly pollutant, remains the most prominent factor, capable of penetrating deep into the lungs and leading to severe respiratory and cardiac diseases.</li></ul><h3 style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:14pt;margin-bottom:4pt;"><keyword id="24020184" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="GRAP-Stage-4" source="keywords">GRAP Stage 4</keyword></h3>To combat the rising pollution levels, authorities have enforced Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). Here’s a breakdown of the restrictions: <ul><li>Vehicle Restrictions:</li><ul><li>Diesel medium and heavy goods vehicles (BS-IV and below) registered in Delhi are banned unless carrying essential goods.</li><li>Non-essential light commercial vehicles from outside Delhi can only enter if they use CNG, BS-VI diesel, or are electric.</li><li>Trucks carrying non-essential items are barred unless they use cleaner fuels like LNG, CNG, or BS-VI diesel. </li></ul><li>Workplace and School Adjustments:</li><ul><li>Classes for students in grades 6 to 9 and class 11 have moved online.</li><li>Offices in the National Capital Region (NCR) are advised to work at 50% capacity, with the rest operating remotely. </li></ul><li>Construction Ban: </li><ul><li>Construction and demolition (C&amp;D) activities have been halted, including large projects like highways, flyovers, and pipelines. </li></ul></ul>Out of Delhi’s 40 monitoring stations, 32 reported AQI levels above 400 on Monday. Visibility in parts of the city dropped to just 100 metres due to the thick smog. The health implications of these numbers are alarming. <keyword id="20118319" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="PM2-5-levels" source="keywords">PM2.5 levels</keyword> in Delhi were recorded at 130.9 times the safe limit set by the WHO. According to experts, long-term exposure to such air quality could lead to an 11% increase in premature mortality rates due to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Studies have shown that Delhi residents may lose an average of 10 years of life expectancy if pollution levels persist. Despite the restrictions, life in Delhi continues under a cloud of smog. Iconic landmarks like India Gate have become barely visible through the haze. While flights and trains are operational, some delays have been reported.

GRAP Stage 4 restrictions take effect as air quality in Delhi deteriorates; PM2.5 levels 130 times higher than WHO limits

Delhi continued to battle with air pollution for the 10th consecutive day post-Diwali as a dense layer of smog blanketed parts of the national capital on Sunday. Several parts of the national capital recorded very poor air quality levels on Sunday morning as per the data issued by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR-India). Today morning, Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 351, Bawana 383, CRRI Mathura Road 323, Dwarka Sector 8 at 341, IGI Airport at 326, ITO 328, Lodhi Road 319, Mundka at 358, Najafgarh at 341, New Moti Bagh at 394, Okhla phase-2 at 339, RK Puram at 368, and Wazirpur at 366, as per SAFAR-India data. As of 5 pm on November 10, Delhi's AQI stood at 334, with Anand Vihar at 353, Dilshad Garden at 262, and Jahangirpuri at 377. For tomorrow, AQI in adjoining cities of Noida and Gurugram is forecasted to be at 208.92 and 77.51, respectively. Multiple visuals from Delhi's Kartavya Path showed the area surrounding India Gate engulfed by a layer of smog. The AQI in the area was recorded at 357 as of 7 am. High-rise buildings were also covered in smog in the Kalindi Kunj and surrounding locality, as the AQI was recorded as 323 in the area. An AQI is considered "poor" between '200 and 300', "very poor" at '301 and 400', "severe" at '401-450," and 450 and above is "severe plus." As the air pollution levels in the national capital reach "very poor," doctors say that even people with no history of respiratory diseases are suffering from breathing issues. Dr. Nikhil Modi, Senior Consultant for Respiratory Critical Care at Apollo Hospital, told ANI that apart from the regular patients, those who haven't had any respiratory issues in the past are showing up with symptoms such as runny noses, sneezing, coughing, and having increasing difficulties breathing. As it is, respiratory illnesses in the national capital are estimated to have shot up by around 15-20%. The Apollo doctor further suggested that the government close the schools for children as they remain vulnerable. Whenever the pollution levels have gone beyond a certain limit, the government has opted to close the schools, Dr. Modi said. "For the last few years, we have been seeing that the government has taken action. Whenever this pollution level has gone beyond a certain limit, they have opted to close the schools. This is important because children are from a vulnerable group. As adults, we are masked and can protect ourselves better, but children usually are not that effectively taking these measures. Secondly, their lungs are still in developing stages, so they are bound to have more harm due to this pollution," the doctor told ANI. Siddharth Singhal, Head of Health Insurance, Policybazaar.com, notes that while most standard health plans in India cover pollution-related ailments, it is always advised to also go for an OPD plan along with a health insurance plan to cover consultations, medications, and diagnostic tests that may be required frequently due to pollution. "Pollution levels in Delhi-NCR and some other parts of India have shot up post Diwali. Effects of this are very evident in the form of sore throats and breathing problems, among others. This can also result in respiratory ailments and chronic conditions like asthma, bronchitis, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), pneumonia, and severe cases of respiratory or bronchial obstruction. Health insurance becomes critical to cover such expenses. Most policies typically cover emergency hospitalization for respiratory issues like asthma or COPD exacerbations requiring ICU or critical care," he adds.

Layer of smog covers Delhi as air quality remains 'very poor'. Here's why you need an insurance cover for this

<ul class="summary-list"><li>China's hyped air show kicked off with performances from its aerobatics team on Tuesday.</li><li>But the grand display was dampened by smog filling the skies over Zhuhai, Guangdong.</li></ul>China's biggest air exhibition opened on Tuesday to smoggy skies obscuring an intricate aerobatics performance meant to display the country's aircraft to the world.The Bayi aerobatics team, a People's Liberation Army Air Force team that flies J-10 fighters, took off just after 10 a.m. local time in Zhuhai, Guangdong, where the China Airshow 2024 is being held.But as crowds gathered on the tarmac to watch, low visibility made it difficult to make out the fighters and their colored smoke trails.At times, the J-10s' shapes could barely be seen as they tore through the murky skies. According to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.accuweather.com/en/cn/zhuhai/58196/air-quality-index/58196#:~:text=48%20AQI,generally%20acceptable%20for%20most%20individuals.">Accuweather</a>, air quality in Zhuhai that morning was "poor" — which indicates a high level of pollution — as the city experienced higher levels of nitrogen dioxide.Poor weather continued to conceal aircraft flypasts an hour after the event opened, muddying displays from China's 150-foot-long YY-20 jet refueler and its Red Falcon team, which flies the Hongdu JL-8 fighter.In contrast, footage of rehearsals shows that the skies were far clearer in the days before the airshow proper, which runs from November 12 to 17.Attendees may get another chance to watch the aerobatics display under better conditions, with the flying teams scheduled to perform on each day of the conference.The national air show, the only one in the country supported by the central government, is meant to be a grand showcase of its latest aircraft, including the J-35A.The medium-sized stealth aircraft is a land-based version of the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-tested-next-gen-j-35-fighter-jet-aircraft-carrier-2024-9">J-35</a>, a fifth-generation fighter launched from aircraft carriers, and is largely seen as a rival to Lockheed Martin's F-35.In its first official public appearance, the J-35A flew briefly at the opening in Zhuhai, climbing into the hazy sky.Commercial craft like China's domestically produced <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/comac-c919-chinese-commercial-jet-built-rival-boeing-and-airbus-2022-2">COMAC C919</a> airliner are also featured in the show.COMAC revealed at the event that it's rebranding its regional jet, the ARJ21, to the C909 in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/old-friend-new-look-chinas-comac-renames-regional-jet-c909-marketing-push-2024-11-12/">a marketing move</a> to increase name recognition among Western competitors like the Boeing 737.The smoggy opening also comes as China has sought to shed the reputation of its cities as being <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/eerie-photos-of-air-pollution-in-china-2015-11">wracked by air pollution</a>. Over the last decade, China has pushed hard to curb coal burning in favor of green energy.Its "war on pollution" has reduced smog levels by 41% from 2013 to 2022, but the country still has far to go, said researchers from the University of Chicago in a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://aqli.epic.uchicago.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/China-FactSheet_2024.pdf">report published in August.</a>"Despite tremendous progress over the past few years, 99.9% of China's 1.4 billion people still continue to live in areas where the annual average particulate pollution level exceeds the WHO guideline," the report said.The University of Chicago researchers estimated that in Guangdong, where the air show is being held, residents would gain 1.4 years in life expectancy if pollution levels there were aligned with WHO standards.

China's big air show opened with a glitzy aerial display of its fighters, but crowds couldn't see much in the smog

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GRAP Stage 4 restrictions take effect as air quality in Delhi deteriorates; PM2.5 levels 130 times higher than WHO limits

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Layer of smog covers Delhi as air quality remains 'very poor'. Here's why you need an insurance cover for this

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China's big air show opened with a glitzy aerial display of its fighters, but crowds couldn't see much in the smog

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