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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

<keyword id="53848" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Air-quality" source="Orion">Air quality</keyword> across Delhi continued to be in the 'very poor' category with AQI at 324. "With severe air quality and high level of pollution in Delhi-NCR, we are observing an increase in number of patients coming to us with complains of redness, Itching, and watering in the eyes," said Dr Ikeda Lal, Cornea and Refractory Surgery Specialist, at Delhi Eye Centre and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital New Delhi. "Patients with pre-existing dry eyes are experiencing exacerbation due to high pollution. We are observing almost increase of 40 rise in number of patients coming to us with eye related problems," he added. Dr Lal explained that pollutants and dust in the air is one of the major reasons for causing eye allergy and eye related problem. Delhi has been witnessing a steep increase in AQI levels after a marginal improvement on Sunday. The city's AQI stood at 348 at 4 pm on Monday, deteriorating from 301 on Sunday. The increase in AQI levels comes after the Centre on Saturday had removed stringent curbs, including a ban on construction work related to linear projects and the entry of polluting trucks, in Delhi following a drop in pollution levels due to favourable wind speed and direction. "The increase in the incidence of dry eye and ocular allergy is causing discomfort even in normal eyes. It aggravates the eye complaints in eyes that are prone to dryness and allergies. If care is not taken immediately, some of these eyes can have reduced vision due to this problem as well," said Dr Rajesh Sinha, Professor of Ophthalmology at RP Centre AIIMS New Delhi. While lubricating eye drops and the use of sunglasses are helpful options, contact lenses and eye makeup should be avoided until the eyes are healed completely, Dr Lal said. Doctors advised to not rub eyes if they itch, wash eyes with clean water; repeat if it still feels uncomfortable. They suggested that cold compresses can help relieve mild itching and to see an eye doctor as soon as possible and avoid prolonged exposure of eyes to pollution.

40% rise in eye related problems due to pollution, say Delhi doctors

With New Delhi <a href="https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3036505/delhi-air-pollution-driving-tourists-away-and-spurring" class="link-text">engulfed in toxic smog</a>, a new establishment offering people a breath of fresh air is proving popular in the Indian capital.Over the past fortnight, the city has seen a public health crisis, with authorities twice declaring a pollution emergency and shutting schools while advising the elderly and infants to stay indoors. Concentrations of the most harmful airborne pollutants in the a city of 25 million are regularly about 20 times the <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/world-health-organisation" class="link-text">World Health Organisation</a> safe limit as industrial pollution and vehicle exhaust fumes – combined with smoke from crop stubble burning – cast a toxic pall over the metropolis. But at Oxy Pure customers can inhale 80-90 per cent pure oxygen infused with essential oils such as peppermint, cinnamon, lavender and lemongrass for 299 rupees (US$4.17) per 15-minute session. Nishika Waghela, 33, breathes in oxygen mixed with different scents at Oxy Pure. Photo: Reuters The <keyword id="1853846" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="oxygen-bar">oxygen bar</keyword> was launched in May by Aryavir Kumar and Margarita Kuritsyana, and supplies its scented air through lightweight tubes placed under the customers’ nostrils. Kumar said he gets between 30 and 40 customers per day, as well as providing “portable cans” of air that they can carry around with them. Some of those who have tried it after suffering the ill effects of pollution – itchy eyes, runny noses and throat infections – say they were unsure if the therapy had a psychological effect, but it did make them feel refreshed. A motorcyclist passes a worker sweeping a road shrouded in <keyword id="68139" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Smog">smog</keyword> in New Delhi. Photo: Bloomberg Others were less sure, however, with several taking to social media to criticise the very concept behind the bar and one declaring that Delhi “has officially gone mad”. Doctors say taking oxygen for a short while, even in high concentrations, has no benefit, and breathing extremely high levels can actually be harmful, including causing lung damage. Several Delhi residents, like Kapil Gulliya, who works with a financial services firm, described the oxygen bar as a gimmick, misusing the alarm over pollution for commercial purposes. “What use is 15 minutes of oxygen when pollution is many times the <keyword id="6356001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="international">international</keyword> safe limits here, equal to smoking 30 cigarettes a day?” Last week, <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/india" class="link-text">India</a>’s Supreme Court criticised the government for making “little constructive efforts” to curb pollution. The court has ordered a new clampdown on stubble burning on farms surrounding the capital.Bonny Irengbam, a senior sales assistant at Oxy Pure, told The Indian Express newspaper that “some people, who try it for the first time, will feel relaxed and fresh. But only people who undergo the sessions regularly will get real benefits of the aroma.” Irengbam said he does not encourage back-to-back sessions and advises his customers to stick with one 15-minute session per day. “I was passing by and saw that they were offering pure oxygen. I thought I’ll give it a try and went for the lemongrass flavour. It was refreshing,” Manjul Mehta, an Oxy Pure customer, told the daily. Oxy Pure is located in an upscale mall in the south of Delhi, with a second outlet expected to be launched by next month at Delhi’s main airport, according to Irengbam.

In smog-choked New Delhi, enterprising oxygen bar soothes residents’ lungs – for a price

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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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40% rise in eye related problems due to pollution, say Delhi doctors

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In smog-choked New Delhi, enterprising oxygen bar soothes residents’ lungs – for a price

SCMP

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