Delhi residents woke up to ‘severe’ air quality on Thursday morning (November 14), a day after the national capital recorded the worst AQI in the country, with dense fog blanketing the NCR, reducing visibility.

Every year, Delhi and northern states battle hazardous air during the winter months of October to January due to plummeting temperatures, smoke, dust, low wind speed, vehicular emissions and crop stubble burning. This time, experts say that the condition is likely to get worse in the coming days.

Nearly half the families in and around Delhi have sought medical help for respiratory ailments connected to severe pollution engulfing the capital, according to a new survey.

Delhi typically sees a spike in air pollution during the festive season starting in October. After Dussehra celebrations in the second week of October, Delhi’s Air Quality Index