India’s silent crisis – air pollution
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Every November farmers in the Indian states of Punjab and Haryana burn their fields following the rice harvest, helping create a dense smog which engulfs the north Indian plain from Lahore to Dhaka
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Air quality (Micrograms per cubic metre*)

10   200

1 2 3
Most polluted cities
(Nov 2018, PM2.5 μg/m3)
*World Health Organization safe limit is 10 micrograms of particulate matter – smaller than 2.5 micrometres – per cubic metre (μg/m3)

INDIA
HARYANA 
PUNJAB
Lahore 181 PAKISTAN
Gurugram 197.3
Faridabad 201.9
Agra 172.4 
Kanpur 145.4
Bangalore 46.1
Gaya 138
Dhaka 131.2 BANGLADESH
Patnar 202.3
Muzaffarpur 207.2
Varanasi 173.6
Lucknow 187.2
Delhi 194.2 
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1. Stubble burning and winds from northwest push pollution into Indian plain
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2. Cold air from Himalayas stops smog dispersing northwards
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3. Smog mixes with diesel fumes and smoke from India’s 246 coal-fired power stations as it moves slowly eastwards
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Coal production
(Million tonnes)
200
730   90 00 10 18

Reliance on coal fuels record production
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Coal 56.1%
Diesel 0.1% 
Gas 6.9% 
Nuclear 1.9% 
Biomass 2.6%
Solar 8.5% To increase to 36% by 2030
Wind 10.1%
Hydro 13.8%

Electricity capacity 363.4GW
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© GRAPHIC NEWS
Sources: IQAir Air Visual, The Lancet, Ministry of Coal, Central Electric Authority