Delhi’s air quality remains in the very poor category, with the AQI hovering above 300. For residents of Delhi-NCR, this grim reality is all too familiar. Every winter, India’s capital and its neighbouring regions turn into a haze-shrouded dystopia where even the sun struggles to pierce through the thick, toxic smog.

On Monday, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recorded an overall AQI of 315 in the national capital. The health impact of this prolonged pollution crisis is severe — residents are reporting burning eyes, coughing, and breathlessness, while long-term exposure increases the risk of lung cancer, heart disease, and weakened immunity.

Hospitals across Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, Faridabad, and Ghaziabad have reported a surge in patients suffering from chest tightness, persis

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