The air quality in India’s capital, New Delhi, yesterday improved slightly as the wind picked up to blow away some of the pollution shrouding the city for days.
However, the air remained at the “hazardous” level in the teeming capital of more than 20 million people, more than five times the recommended safe limit of 60.
PM2.5 — an indicator of airborne particulate matter measuring 2.5 micrometers or less that can reach deep into the lungs — levels reached 331 yesterday morning, the US embassy’s real-time air quality index showed.
Photo: AP
On Monday, the level exceeded 500, exacerbating a public health crisis and prompting the office of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to step in to check on what various government ministries were doing to help.
The Indian Supreme Court on Monday chided authorities for their failure to curb the pollution and asked the city government, its neighboring states and the federal government to work together to help improve air quality.
The capital is restricting use of private vehicles until Friday next week with an “odd-even” system, allowing vehicles to use roads on alternate days, depending on whether their license plate ends in an odd or even number.
The city, which has declared a public health emergency, also shut schools on Monday and yesterday, and banned construction and cracked down on the burning of garbage.
The government is also trying to curb crop residue burning in Delhi’s surrounding states.
Every year at this time, farmers in Punjab and Haryana states, where farming is the mainstay, start burning off the rice field stubble in preparation for the sowing season.
The smoke from fields combines with pollution from vehicles and industry to make Delhi the world’s most-polluted capital.
Environmental groups were yesterday scheduled to stage a protest at India Gate, the war memorial at the center of the capital, to press for action.
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