air pollution 60 times higher than standards in New Delhi

Air pollution reached this Monday in the Indian capital New Delhi a level more than 60 times higher than the maximum threshold set by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to measurements carried out by the company IQAir. The city is confronted every winter with peaks in pollution caused by toxic fumes from factories and road traffic, to which are added at this time of year those from seasonal agricultural burning. Local authorities triggered level 4 of their alert plan on Sunday evening “in order to prevent further deterioration of air quality”. New Delhi schools are holding their classes remotely this Monday until further notice, by decision of the authorities, with the exception of two high school levels, due to worsening air pollution.

“Face-to-face lessons will be interrupted for all students except levels 10 and 12” corresponding to two years of high school, Chief Minister Atishi said in a statement on Sunday evening. Levels of PM 2.5 particles, which had reached figures 57 times higher than World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations in New Delhi the day before, remained 39 times beyond the desired thresholds at dawn on Monday , according to statements from the company IQAir. PM 2.5 particles are carcinogenic and enter the bloodstream through the lungs.

Contain traffic

In the morning, New Delhi was enveloped in thick gray smog. The phenomenon, attributed in particular to the burning of stubble in fields in neighboring regions before plowing, to factories and road traffic, recurs every year. The capital and its metropolitan area (30 million inhabitants) are constantly at the top of the ranking of the most polluted cities in the world in winter. Primary schools had already had to organize their lessons remotely since Thursday. On Monday, in addition to the closure of the majority of classes, other measures were taken including restrictions on construction sites and the movement of diesel trucks.

Officials hope homeschooling will help contain traffic, with the goal of preventing air quality from worsening. “deteriorates even more”. The government has also called on children, the elderly and all those suffering from pulmonary and/or cardiac pathologies to “stay indoors as much as possible”. Many residents of the capital cannot afford an air purifier and live in housing that is poorly sealed from the stale air from outside, responsible for thousands of premature deaths each year. Lower temperatures and weak winds in winter, which lasts from mid-October until at least January in India, intensify pollution by fixing dangerous particles in place. In October, India's Supreme Court ruled that access to clean air was a fundamental right, ordering state governments to act.