Thick, toxic smog over Indian capital as temperatures, wind speed drop

A metro train passes through the Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Center as it approaches Rithala metro station on a smoggy morning in Delhi, India November 12, 2021. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - New Delhi's air quality plummeted again on Friday, and a thick haze of toxic smog hung over India's capital due to a drop in temperature and wind speed, and a spike in the burning of crop waste in surrounding farmlands.

The haze reduced visibility and the Air Quality Index (AQI) hit 461 on a scale of 500, according to the federal pollution control board. This level of pollution means the air will affect healthy people and seriously impact those with existing diseases.