Air pollution remains extremely high in the Indian capital New Delhi, a day after authorities closed schools indefinitely and shut some power stations to reduce smog that has blanketed the city for much of the month.
New Delhi’s air quality remained “very poor,” according to SAFAR, India’s main environmental monitoring agency. The concentration of tiny airborne particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter — known as PM 2.5 — neared 300 micrograms per cubic meter in some parts of the city, it said.
New Delhi, a city of 20 million, is one of the world’s most polluted cities. Air quality often hits hazardous levels during the winter, when the burning of crop residue in neighboring states coincides with lower temperatures that trap smoke. The smoke travels to New Delhi, obscuring the sky.went into effect on Wednesday in an attempt to stem the health crisis.
The PM 2.5 concentration has soared to nearly 15 times above the WHO’s safe level on many days in November and forecasters warn the pollution is likely to get worse in the coming days.Auto emissions contribute nearly 25% of the city’s pollution in the winter, according to the federal government. Other sources of air pollution include emissions from industries, smoke from firecrackers linked to festivals, construction dust and agricultural burning.