The unbearable levels of air pollution in India’s New Delhi, declared a public health emergency by the local government as of Monday, have made “the invisible killer, visible”. 

That’s from Valentin Foltescu, Senior Programme Management Officer for the UN Environment Programme in India, UNEP, who said that current levels of toxic particles in the capital are 40 times higher than the upper limit of exposure, recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). 

Record-levels of smog are expected to plague residents for at least a week, with crop stubble burning, waste mismanagement, and traffic all contributing to the problem.  

Mr. Foltescu told Anshu Sharma how UNEP is working with various sectors to make a difference in eliminating killer smog in New Delhi, and beyond.