New Delhi's pollution reading can sometimes hit 500 on the Air Quality Index. Last week it recorded a reading of 38.
New Delhi's citizens 'can't believe' how quickly their city's air quality has improved during India's national novel coronavirus lockdown, The New York Times reports.
With people off the roads, flights grounded, and factories shuttered, New Delhi has experienced a remarkable turnaround when it comes to pollution. On bad days, the city's Air Quality Index — which measures different airborne pollutants — can register a reading of 500 or higher, essentially maxing out the scale. When that number hits 150, it's reportedly considered a good day. Last week, the AQI was at 38.
Lockdowns across the world have helped lead to cleaner environments, but it's been especially notable in India, which is home to 14 of the 20 cities in the world with the most hazardous air.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Many people who suffer from chronic coughs and more serious lung diseases because of the pollution have said their health has improved, the Times reports. "They are feeling lighter, they are using their inhalers less frequently, most of them are feeling better," said Dr. Arvind Kamar, a Dehli chest surgeon.
It's not likely to last, however. Delhi and other metropolises around India will eventually open back up when the pandemic eases, but environmentalists in India are still hoping the rapid improvement proves a point, even if the measures that led to it are extreme. "Clearly, this is not something that can't be reversed," said activist Jai Dhar Gupta. "We've just reversed it." Read more at The New York Times.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Why Johnson won't just pass Ukraine aid
Speed Read The House Speaker could have sent $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine — but it would have split his caucus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Winchcombe meteorite: space rock may reveal how water came to Earth
The Explainer New analysis of its violent journey confirms scientific theories on the origin of our planet's H2O
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Liz Truss to save the West: is a political comeback really on the cards?
Talking Point The former prime minister is back with a new tell-all memoir
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published