New Delhi ordered the closure of schools starting this Friday due to rising air pollution levels in recent days, which have shrouded the capital and northern regions of India in a blanket of toxic smog.
“Taking into account the rising pollution levels, all primary schools, public and private, in Delhi will remain closed for the next two days,” said the head of the capital’s government, Arvind Kejriwal, on the social network X.
The measure comes in addition to restrictions announced in recent days by city authorities, including a ban on non-essential construction activities and the entry of diesel trucks, as part of a phased plan that requires more restrictive measures to address to the increase in pollution.
Concentrations of PM 2.5 particles, the most harmful to humans, reached 375 micrograms per cubic meter of air in the eastern neighborhood of Anand Vihar, while concentrations of these fine particles reached 478 in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium , to the south, according to measurements by the Central Pollution Control Bureau (CPCB).
The World Health Organization (WHO) considers dangerous a maximum daily exposure to PM 2.5 greater than 15 micrograms per cubic meter of air, which is why the ‘media’ currently compare the toxic air of the capital with that of a chamber of gas or the equivalent of smoking a handful of cigarettes a day.
New Delhi was ranked as the city with the worst air quality in the world, according to a list prepared by IQAir.
This deterioration also affects a large part of northern India and deprives its inhabitants of an average of five years of life expectancy, according to the latest Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) study by the University of Chicago, USA.
The alarming deterioration of air quality in New Delhi inevitably occurs at this time of year, when several factors coincide, such as the arrival of winter and the decrease in winds that prevent the dispersion of pollutants.
The burning of rice stubble in states neighboring the capital also contributes to the increase in pollution, while experts point out the inaction of the authorities to solve the root problem.
Source: TSF
