Panic in India as huge city hit by smog so thick it's like 'breathing in gas chamber'

The poor air quality has prompted flight cancellations and school closures. (Image: Getty)

The Indian capital New Delhi is battling dire levels of air pollution, as experts warn tougher interventions might be necessary to tackle the toxic smog.

The city was estimated to have an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 317 as of 09.44am BST as of Tuesday, according to tech firm IQAir, with an air pollution level classed as "hazardous".

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) AQI values in excess of 300 are deemed hazardous to health.

The concentration in New Delhi of PM2.5, (fine inhalable particles, with diameters that are generally 2.5 micrometers and below), at that time was 46.8 times the WHO annual air quality guideline value.

The grim conditions have brought disruptions to flight services, and has even prompted authorities to close schools and pause construction work.

The conditions have a devastating impact on health. (Image: Getty)

Authorities have told employers to ask 50% of their workforce to work remotely, and banned non-essential trucks from entering the city.

Delhi residents have been speaking out about the thick smog, with one resident writing on X: "Woke up with a itchy, painful throat.. even two air purifiers are not making the AQI breathable indoors. Children are breathing in gas chamber."

Photos of the city show people covering their mouths and the outlines of buildings obscured by the fumes.

The smog has become a yearly problem. When temperatures in northern India drop, toxic pollutants from traffic and rubbish fires, as well as factory and contruction emissions are trapped in the air, and are blown across cities, The Guardian reports.

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According weather forecasting agency Safar, stubble fires, an illegal but common practice which sees farmers burn their own fields to clear them for new crops, have contributed as much as 40% of the pollution Delhi has seen in the past few days.

Short-term measures are commonly used when the smog builds up, such as anti-smog guns and water sprinklers, but many want to tackle the root of the problem rather than contantly fight its symptoms.

Delhi's Chief Minister Atishi said on Monday that all of northern India was in a "medical emergency" because of continuing stubble burning in the country, singling out the neighbouring states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, as per BBC News.

Studies have estimated that over a million Indians die each year from diseases related to pollution, Sky News reports.