Leh

Air pollution

Go Air flight taxiing for takeoff at the Delhi domestic airport for my flight to Leh, Ladakh. For Delhi, this was actually a pretty good day with an air quality index of around 350 (compared to an average of around 25 where I live in Vancouver). Some days recently the AQI in Delhi has gone to over 999, which is the highest current instruments can measure, resulting in a state of emergency. Delhi and Beijing 'distinguish' themselves for having some of the worst air pollution on the planet. In Delhi the source of the pollution is local crop burning, burning dung and wood for local cooking, diesel exhaust, natural dust, wildfires, industrial effluents, etc. making for a deadly mix where just breathing the air is equivalent to smoking 50 cigarettes a day. Lucky for me, the air was clear and cool when I reach Ladakh high in the mountains at 11,500 ft.

air pollutionGo airlineDelhi domestic airportplanes barely visibletaxiing for takeoff