Delhi’s air in January was badly polluted, with nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and benzene often above safe limits at many monitoring stations. These high levels can harm lungs and increase health risks for people breathing the city’s air.

Notably, the national capital faced surge in pollutant levels on Thursday as well, with AQI crossing the 300 mark after a severe dust storm, which also affected the visibility. 

The Delhi government has been pushing for artificial rain using cloud-seeding - the method of triggering rain by seeding clouds with salts - to fight the pollution, but the plan is yet to take off.

Muzaffarnagar, Hapur, Meerut, Charkhi Dadri, Greater Noida, and Bahadurgarh— all situated within the National Capital Region (NCR)-- were among top 10 polluted cities in the country