Indian capital gets a breather as rain brings respite from smog

A man carrying a child on his shoulder walks across a field amidst the morning smog in New Delhi, India, November 9, 2023.REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Overnight rain in New Delhi and its suburbs brought some relief to the Indian capital on Friday morning, where authorities were mulling seeding clouds to improve the toxic air gripping the city.

The city, which was the most polluted in the world till Thursday, saw its air quality index (AQI) improve to 127 early on Friday - a welcome change from the "hazardous" 400-500 level seen during the past week, according to Swiss group IQAir.