Smog in the air, fog in the brain: Delhi's tree-pruning madness peaks at AQI 400

What is the only defence that Delhi, blessed with a decent green cover, has as its air turns life-threatening? It's the trees. No sane department, one would assume, would think of touching the trees in these times of haze. But Delhi's authorities seem to be in a daze. They are going about lopping off entire branches of trees in the name of pruning despite Delhi's air quality being in the hazardous zone , with the AQI hovering between 300 and 400.

Pruning is needed, to keep branches lighter so that trees don't topple during storms. But the rains are months away. Pruning is also needed for sunlight, the primary source of vitamin D — needed for strong bones. For anyone with common sense, oxygen vs strong bones is no debate at all.

That said, studies show that pollution impacts brain fun