New Delhi is gasping for breath as air quality reaches serious levels, shrouding the Indian capital in smog

NEW DEHLI – India’s capital was left gasping for breath this week as air pollution levels reduced visibility to near zero and air quality increased more than 130 times safe limits.

SAFAR, the Air Quality Early Warning System of India’s Ministry of Earth Sciences, on Monday showed severe air quality over the capital region, with a current air quality index (AQI) close to 500. According to the forecast, air quality will be very poor for the rest of the time to stay. of the week.

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SAFAR warns everyone in Delhi to stay indoors and avoid all outdoor activities.

Delhi Environment Minister Shri Gopal Rai said schools had to close due to pollution.

New Dehli had the worst air quality in the world this week, more than 136 times the World Health Organization’s safe breathing values, according to international air quality site IQAir.

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According to IQAir, neighboring Pakistan had the second worst air quality on Monday. Both countries have been plagued by pollution and smog-filled skies over the past week.

India’s northern states experience poor air quality at this time of year, but this week’s choking comes after government officials said they have curbed the agricultural practice of stubble burning, one of the main causes of smog. This practice is common when farmers burn leftover straw stubble after grains have been harvested.

Weather is also a contributing factor to air quality. When stubble is burned in winter, the cooler air traps the smoke.

Gopal Rai said at a news conference on Monday that stubble burning in the Punjab region of northwestern India has fallen from 47,000 incidents in 2022 to 7,500 after a concentrated effort.

Original article source: New Delhi is gasping for breath as air quality reaches serious levels, shrouding the Indian capital in smog