Air pollution in India’s capital Delhi has risen to such critical levels that residents are suffocating and the city is shrouded in thick smog.
According to technology company IQAir, the monitor recorded an air quality index (AQI) pollution level of 1,500 as of 15:00 IST (09:30 BST). This is 15 times the level that the Word Health Organization (WHO) considers safe to breathe.
Toxic air disrupted flights, and authorities had already ordered school closures and a ban on construction work in the city.
This comes just weeks after neighboring Lahore, Pakistan, also recorded pollution levels above 1,000.
Experts also warned that the situation in Delhi could worsen in the coming days and said tougher measures may be needed to combat the city’s pollution problem.
According to the WHO, air with an AQI value above 300 is considered dangerous to health.
India’s pollution control authorities have classified Delhi’s air quality as “severe plus” after temperatures in the city exceeded 450 degrees Celsius in measurements on Monday morning.
In addition to closing schools and banning construction work, the city has also banned non-essential trucks from entering Delhi and asked all offices to ask 50% of their staff to work from home.
Last week, the government banned all activities involving the use of coal and firewood, as well as the use of diesel generators for non-emergency purposes.
Every year, Delhi, the northern states of India, and parts of Pakistan experience severe weather during the winter months from October to January due to plummeting temperatures, smoke, dust, low wind speeds, vehicle exhaust fumes, and burnt crop stumps. Fighting against a dangerous atmosphere.
And every year, the government imposes pollution control measures during these months.
However, Delhi’s pollution problem has not been resolved yet.
Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Monday said the entire north of India was under a “medical emergency” as stubble burning continued unchecked across the country, especially in the neighboring states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. said.
She accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of not taking steps to curb the practice, even though the problem has intensified over the past five years.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party accused Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of failing to control pollution in the city.
Meanwhile, residents of Delhi continue to gasp for air.
“I woke up with an itchy and sore throat. Even with two air purifiers, AQI can’t ventilate the room. Children are breathing in a gas chamber,” one user wrote on X (formerly Twitter). is.
Another user called for “massive peaceful protests in the streets.” “The air we breathe is deadly toxic,” he wrote.
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