Delhi air quality 'very poor'; authorities to hold emergency meeting today

The overall air quality index (AQI) of Delhi was at '372', in the 'very poor' category at 8 am, according to SAFAR

Toxic air enveloped Delhi for the fifth consecutive day, making it the most polluted city across the planet and prompting the authorities to hold an emergency meeting.

The air quality index (AQI) of Delhi was at '372', in the 'very poor' category at 8 am, according to the state-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR). Readings below 50 are considered safe, while anything above 300 is considered hazardous or 'severe'. Levels surged after people violated a ban on bursting firecrackers on Diwali last week and stubble burning by farmers spiked in areas adjoining Delhi.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Monday said he will meet his advisors on Tuesday as he blamed stubble burning for the pollution.

Many other places in north India recorded an AQI between 'very poor' and 'severe'.

Delhi topped the list of the world’s ten most polluted cities, according to IQAir, a website which monitors air pollution. Mumbai and Kolkata were other Indian cities in the list.

The toxic air pollution levels underline the risks faced by India as it discusses climate priorities at the global negotiations at the COP26 summit in Glasgow. Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged last week that the world’s third-worst emitter will aim to reach net-zero by 2070.

Air pollution costs Indian businesses $95 billion or roughly 3 per cent of its GDP every year, according to UK-based non-profit Clean Air Fund and the Confederation of Indian Industry, Bloomberg reported.