Delhi’s Smog Collides With India’s Peak Tourism Season

Photo Credit: Dehli is often hit by severe fog and pollution during winter months. Wikimedia Smog fills Delhi and northern India every winter, casting a shadow on Diwali celebrations and hitting peak tourism season. The region’s position on the Indo-Gangetic Plain, where the Himalayas block air from flowing north, leads to trapped pollution from late October to February. Air quality in Delhi is then often made worse by firecrackers used in Diwali celebrations. October to March is also the busiest window for foreign visitors to India, and Delhi is often used as an entry point. On Saturday morning, November 7, Delhi had a U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI) value of 581, according to reports citing data from Swiss air monitoring company IQAir. That made it the most polluted major city in the world at that moment. IQAir uses the U.S. AQI, which runs from zero upward; readings of 301 and above are considered hazardous. At the time of writing, Delhi’s AQI hourly reported value has come down to 176, putting it second only to Lahore in Pakis