A thick toxic haze or 'smog' returned to Delhi, Noida, Gurugram and surrounding places this morning - after people burst crackers on Diwali night - violating the Supreme Court's ban order, leading to heavy pollution all across the National Capital Region. We look at whether artificial rain tackles the air pollution crisis of the scale that we are seeing in Delhi and the national capital region and what measures work best to tackle the toxic air with Environmentalist Vimlendu K Jha.
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Even people who do not have asthma can experience respiratory symptoms when pollution levels are high. In some cases, repeated or prolonged exposure may also affect lung function and increase the risk of respiratory and other health problems.
The ranking was led by Bulandshahr, followed by Aligarh and Faridkot, as AQI readings crossed 600 in all 10 cities.
There is no single recovery time for everyone. It depends on how much pollution a person was exposed to and whether the exposure was brief or repeated.
The national capital's AQI was above 600, significantly higher than the readings recorded in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru.
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Monday November 10, 2025Till some years back, Delhiites would ask angry questions to those in power about the capitals annual tryst with toxic air. This has changed. Those in the driving seat dont see the need to answer now.

