AFP, NEW DELHIAfter India’s biggest firework party of the year, New Delhi yesterday awoke to a pollution hangover, with the capital forced to breathe hazardous levels of toxic particles. With the pollution threat growing over the past decade, the Indian Supreme Court banned most fireworks for the Hindu festival of lights. Experts said the toxic cocktail that hits New Delhi and other Indian cities each winter causes the premature deaths of more than 1 million people each year. Thousands of farmers in Haryana burn their rice and wheat stubble in between planting new crops sending clouds of smoke toward New Delhi. The Indian government has taken a slew of anti-pollution measures in the past few years, including shutting down thermal power plants and banning construction during the pollution season.

Source: Taipei Times October 28, 2019 16:04 UTC