Shrouded in smog, Delhi pollution reading is the highest this year

Traffic passes on a road as the sky is enveloped with smog after Delhi's air quality turned "severe" due to alarming air pollution, in New Delhi, India, November 18, 2024. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A thick blanket of toxic smog engulfed most parts of northern India on Monday and readings of air quality in the capital New Delhi hit their highest this year after dense fog overnight.

The smog, a toxic blend of smoke and fog, happens each year in winter as cold air traps dust, emissions, and smoke from illegal farm fires in some surrounding states.