India’s capital city has been choked with heavy pollution in recent winters, thanks to more cars, construction and diesel generators, along with the city’s bowl-like setting that traps dirty air when the weather is cool. Since at least 2011, air quality has sometimes been worse than notoriously polluted Beijing.
But in one Delhi neighborhood right now—Anand Vihar, a residential and business district across the Yamuna River from New Delhi’s leafy government seat—the levels are astoundingly high today, even by the city’s dismal standards. The most recent readings of PM 2.5—the tiny particulate matter that causes the most damage to human health—are the highest in the world at 580. PM10 levels, which measure larger particles, are even worse, and this is all before rush hour morning traffic begins:
Beijing, which is enjoying a stretch of cleaner air thanks to factory shutdowns and school and business closures for the APEC summit, clocks in at a relatively green 48 PM 2.5.
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Delhi has the filthiest air on the planet right now—by a long shot – Quartz
But in one Delhi neighborhood right now—Anand Vihar, a residential and business district across the Yamuna River from New Delhi’s leafy government seat—the levels are astoundingly high today, even by the city’s dismal standards. The most recent readings of PM 2.5—the tiny particulate matter that causes the most damage to human health—are the highest in the world at 580. PM10 levels, which measure larger particles, are even worse, and this is all before rush hour morning traffic begins:
Beijing, which is enjoying a stretch of cleaner air thanks to factory shutdowns and school and business closures for the APEC summit, clocks in at a relatively green 48 PM 2.5.
more
Delhi has the filthiest air on the planet right now—by a long shot – Quartz