Heavy smog seen engulfed amid rise in pollution levels at Barakhamba on Nov. 2, 2023 in New Delhi, India. People in New Delhi woke up to a thick layer of toxic haze on Friday, and some schools were ordered to be shut for two days as the air quality index (AQI) entered the "severe" category in several parts of the Indian capital. A filthy smog forms over Delhi every winter as cold, heavy air traps construction dust, vehicle emissions and smoke from crop stubble burning in neighboring states, causing a surge in respiratory illnesses among the city's 20 million people. New Delhi topped a real-time list on Friday of the world's most polluted cities compiled by Swiss group IQAir which put the India's capital's AQI at 611 in the 'hazardous' category. "Unfavorable meteorological conditions, sudden increase in the farm fire incidents and north-westerly winds moving the pollutants to Delhi are the major causes for sudden spike in AQI," the region's Commission for Air Quality Management said on Thursday.

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Organizations: Residents, region's Commission, Air Quality Management Locations: New Delhi, India, Delhi, Swiss