Photos: India’s Polluted Skies
Amarjeet Kumar Singh / Anadolu / Getty
Silhouettes of people and monkeys make their way past India Gate amid smoggy conditions in New Delhi, India, on October 22, 2025. Thick smog blanketed the city, with Delhi’s air-quality index dropping to 345, placing it in the “very poor” category.
Bhawika Chhabra / Reuters
A farmer burns stubble in a field in the northern state of Punjab, India, on November 13, 2025.
Vipin Kumar / Hindustan Times / Getty
Smog fills the air in the early hours of the morning at Shanti Path in New Delhi, on November 16, 2025. The national capital continues to reel under a dense blanket of smog, with air quality plunging to “severe” levels.
Sonu Mehta / Hindustan Times / Getty
An anti-smog gun sprays water to settle down dust along Kartavya Path on November 8, 2025, in New Delhi.
Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times / Getty
A view of a morning haze due to rising air-pollution levels, seen in Noida, India, on November 15, 2025
Bhawika Chhabra / Reuters
Burning stubble sends smoke and other particulates into the air in Mansa, in the northern state of Punjab, on November 12, 2025.
Anushree Fadnavis / Reuters
A boy plays cricket near the banks of Yamuna river, on a smoggy morning in New Delhi on November 13, 2025.
Ritesh Shukla / Getty
A view of Akshardham Temple amid heavy pollution, seen in New Delhi on October 29, 2025.
Manish Swarup / AP
A person holds a sign during a protest against what demonstrators called the government’s lack of action to combat air pollution in New Delhi, on November 9, 2025.
Sakib Ali / Hindustan Times / Getty
Air-quality levels in Ghaziabad, India, continued to remain in the “very poor” category on November 16, 2025.
Deepak / ANI Photo / Reuters
Vehicles sit in traffic under a layer of smog in New Delhi on November 12, 2025.
Himanshu Sharma / NurPhoto / Getty
Smog blankets Ajmer, Rajasthan, India, on November 7, 2025.
Sanchit Khanna / Hindustan Times / Getty
People travel on a smoggy day in Wazirabad, on October 18, 2025, in New Delhi.
Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times / Getty
A smoggy morning in Noida, seen on November 15, 2025
Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times / Getty
Tall residential buildings, seen during a period of low visibility due to air pollution, on November 1, 2025, in Noida
Adnan Abidi TPX / Adnan Abidi / Reuters
A flock of birds flies past a tree on a smoggy morning in New Delhi on November 10, 2025.