ANKARA – Residents in the Indian capital, New Delhi, and neighbouring areas continue to reel from severe air pollution, prompting authorities to shut primary schools and implement additional measures.
For many days now, residents in the capital have been waking up to a thick layer of smog that has engulfed the city and the neighbouring areas, with many people complaining of eye irritation and sore throats, reported Anadolu Agency.
Air pollution in New Delhi has been a recurring seasonal issue for many years. The air quality tends to deteriorate, especially during the winter months from November to January.
An air quality and weather bulletin issued by the government on Monday said that the air quality over Delhi remained in the “severe category” with the Air Quality Index remaining at 454 on Sunday.
It said the air quality is likely to be in severe category until Nov 9.
Air quality in the range between 0-50 has minimal impact on health. Severe category may cause respiratory impact even on healthy people, according to the government.
The Federal Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change said on Sunday that unfavourable meteorological conditions, very high incidents of farm fires and low-speed north-westerly winds moving the pollutants to Delhi are the major causes for a sudden spike in the Air Quality Index.
Delhi’s Education Minister Atishi Marlena announced that primary schools in Delhi will stay closed till Nov 10.
Several studies have pointed out that air pollution in India has contributed to a large number of deaths. The Lancet Planetary Health journal revealed that pollution resulted in more than 2.3 million premature deaths in India in 2019. – Bernama
