【1996 Archives】

If you996 Archivescoming to India to visit the Taj Mahal, you might want to change your plans.

Each year tens of millions of people come to Agra to see one of the seven wonders of the world. But the view of the iconic mausoleum these days is leaving a lot to be desired among tourists. A thick layer of fog has blanketed the Taj Mahal to the dismay of tourists.

A thick layer of smog has blanketed much of northern India in the aftermath of Diwali, and burning of millions of tons of crop stubble. The smog, classified as hazardous by health organizations, is not showing any signs of receding.

People who visited the Taj Mahal over the weekend, and some who are visiting it today, are expressing their disappointment by the view. In some cases the smog is so dense that it is difficult to spot the Taj Mahal.

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India's capital New Delhi is among the most affected areas. The Delhi government on Sunday declared "emergency situation"in the state after consecutive days of severe air quality. The air quality continues to hit alarming 900 AQI PM2.5 level, more than 15 times the safe limit set by the government.

Over 1,800 schools in New Delhi have been shut for a couple of days, and construction work has been suspended. People are looking at the government for an effective and concrete plan which could curb air pollution in the next few days. Many experts are saying that the situation in New Delhi is very similar to the unfortunate incident in London in 1952 which killed roughly 4,000 people.