Experts urge shift from fossil fuels to clean energy.

"The fact that there is no single source of pollution, but a combination of black carbon, ozone, and fumes from burning fossil fuels and farm fires, should push us to adopt multidisciplinary solutions." - Aarti Khosla, Director of Climate Trends

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With Delhi's air quality once again on hazardous levels, health and climate experts have termed the situation a "public health emergency", while calling for phasing out of fossil fuels and adopting clean energy solutions.

The capital's air quality index (AQI) has remained in the "severe" category for days, with PM2.5 concentrations surging past 400 mg/m3 -- far beyond the World Health Organization's (WHO) safe limit of 15 mg/m3 for 24-hour exposure.

In response, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) activated Stage-IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), imposing restrictions like bans on truck entry and a halt to public construction projects.

However, health experts argue that such measures are only temporary fixes for a problem that demands deeper, more systemic solutions.