'Should Delhi even remain capital?': Tharoor on AQI 'nightmare'
What's the story
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has expressed concern over Delhi's degrading air quality, asking if it should remain India's capital.
He called the city "essentially uninhabitable" from November to January due to toxic smog.
Quoting data from Swiss air quality technology company IQAir, Tharoor said that Delhi is now the most polluted city in the world, overtaking Dhaka.
Government criticism
Tharoor criticizes government's inaction on pollution
Tharoor slammed the government for its inaction, calling it "unconscionable" that they have been witnessing this nightmare for years and doing nothing about it.
He posted his concerns on X, noting that Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) levels are four times above hazardous and nearly five times worse than Dhaka's.
Tharoor also revealed he had been running an Air Quality Round Table since 2015 but stopped last year due to lack of progress and interest.
Severe pollution
Delhi's air quality reaches 'alarmingly high' levels
The air quality in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) has gone "alarmingly high," with AQI touching the severe-plus category.
Most monitoring stations recorded AQI levels near 500 on Tuesday morning, shrouding the region in smog for seven straight days.
The Central Pollution Control Board reported AQI levels at different locations reaching 500 at 5:00am on Tuesday.
Emergency declaration
Delhi government declares 'medical emergency' due to pollution
In light of the extreme pollution, the Delhi government has declared a "medical emergency." It is urging institutions to take preventive measures in the interest of public health and has shifted schools to online classes.
The Commission for Air Quality Management has also invoked stricter pollution control measures under Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) which deals with "severe-plus" AQI above 450.