Delhi's severe air pollution has caused widespread disruption, with heavy smog grounding flights, forcing schools into hybrid mode and overshadowing a visit by football star Lionel Messi. Air quality index readings at several monitoring stations hit the maximum level of 500 on Monday, placing the capital in the 'severe' category for a third consecutive day.
Visibility at Indira Gandhi International Airport was dangerously low, leading to 228 flight cancellations and over 400 delays, according to airline and airport data. Five inbound flights were diverted, and carriers including IndiGo and Air India warned of ongoing disruption. Messi's chartered flight for his G.O.A.T Tour was scheduled to land before 11am but arrived after 2.30pm, delaying his appearance at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
When Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta appeared on stage with Messi, sections of the crowd chanted 'AQI, AQI' in protest at the air quality, and she was booed upon leaving. A planned meeting between Messi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was cancelled after the footballer's delayed arrival; Modi's own departure for a three-nation tour was delayed by about an hour due to low visibility.
The crisis extended beyond Delhi: an international T20 cricket match between India and South Africa in Lucknow was abandoned on Wednesday due to 'excessive fog' making conditions unsafe. The air quality index there was around 400 at the scheduled start. Recent weeks have seen protests in Delhi, with people wearing oxygen masks at Jantar Mantar and arrests near India Gate.
Schools have switched to online learning for younger children and hybrid for older ones. Authorities have suspended construction, banned older diesel trucks from entering the city, and urged residents with respiratory or cardiac conditions to stay indoors. Foreign missions, including Singapore's embassy, issued health advisories. India's pollution watchdog attributed the sudden deterioration to high moisture and shifting wind patterns trapping emissions near the ground.
