India, Jan. 20 -- Residents of Delhi are gasping for breath through the city's worst January air in at least five years, with the air quality index (AQI) in the Capital remaining above 400 for three consecutive days - a grim milestone that has few recent parallels.

On Monday, the AQI in Delhi stood at 410, marking the third straight day above the 400 threshold. This streak matches a record set only once before, in January 2021.

More alarmingly, Delhi has never recorded four consecutive "severe" air days in January, a threshold it now stands perilously close to breaching.

Monday's reading also comes on the back of a severely polluted weekend. On Sunday, the AQI was 440, and it was 400 on Saturday - a day that began badly and deteriorate...