Even three days after Diwali, Delhi remains shrouded in smog, air quality 'severe'

New Delhi, popularly known as 'dil walo ka dilli', continues to be under a thick blanket of smog leading to poor visibility conditions.

This morning, Delhiites woke up to apocalyptic grey skies as heavy smog hung over the city.

Three days after Diwali, the capital's air quality continued to be in the "severe" category despite experts predicting that it would improve to "very poor" by Wednesday.

Prolonged exposure to severe category air may affect healthy people and seriously impact those with existing diseases while very poor category may cause respiratory illness. Children, elderly and the sick are considered most vulnerable to the harmful effects of hazardous air. The National Air Quality Index also reported air quality in Delhi at 'severe', with PM 2.5 being the prominent pollutant.

Pollution peaks in the national capital during Diwali as a hazardous mix of noxious gases and respirable pollutants hang very close to the surface due to low temperature and near-stagnant wind movement.