Dense toxic smog in India’s capital led to hundreds of flight cancellations and triggered travel advisories.
Delhi “is a gas chamber right now,” one doctor said. The city’s air quality index breached the “severe” threshold over the last two days, and was more than 30 times the limit recommended by WHO. The government suspended construction, ordered 50% of staff to work from home, and imposed hybrid school lessons, while the UK and Singapore warned its citizens of travel and health risks.
The smog, which worsens every winter as stagnant winds trap pollutants, hinders India’s prospects as a rising power, threatening “not only lives but the capacity of the state itself to function, govern effectively, and respond to strategic risks,” a journalist wrote.