Topline
Officials in New Delhi, India, on Friday ordered all primary schools in the city to shut down as the nation’s capital, and world’s most polluted city, witnessed its fourth straight day of ‘hazardous’ pollution levels, triggering political blame games between Delhi’s state government and India’s federal government.
A bird flies with the horizon enveloped by smog and haze in New Delhi.
Key Facts
New Delhi’s Air Quality Index, which measures the presence of pollutants in the air, has hovered above 400—considered to be in the “severe” or “hazardous” category where even healthy individuals are likely to experience problems—since the start of this week.
According to a tracker run by AQI.in, the level of PM 2.5, airborne particles which are less than 2.5 microns in diameter, stood at 336 on Friday—which is more than 22 times above the levels that the WHO deems as safe.
While primary schools remain shut, outdoor activities will also be banned for older school students from fifth grade and above, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced.
Kejriwal noted that his government is also contemplating reintroducing a traffic regulation called ‘odd-even’ where vehicles with number plates ending in odd or even numbers will be allowed on the road on alternate days.
Earlier on Friday, the Indian Supreme Court agreed to hear a public petition on the state of pollution in Delhi, which calls on the top court to issue guidelines to block the burning of crop residues in neighboring states—considered a key cause behind Delhi’s toxic air.
Big Number
14. That’s how many of North India’s cities featured in IQAir’s 2021 list of top 20 most polluted cities across the world. Delhi, which ranked number four on the list, was the world’s most polluted major city.
Chief Critic
India’s Environment Minister, Bhupender Yadav, has blamed Kejriwal and his party, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for failing to tackle Delhi’s pollution crisis. Pointing to a rise in crop residue fires in the state of Punjab, which elected an AAP government earlier this year, Yadav tweeted: “There is no doubt over who has turned Delhi into a gas chamber.”
Key Background
Toxic air is a recurring problem for India’s capital every winter due to a perfect storm of multiple circumstances. The fog which arrives at the start of winter turns into toxic smog that is trapped over the city as it draws from construction dust, brick kilns, factories, vehicle emissions and the burning of crop residues in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana. The burning of crop residues has been an area of particular focus for the past few years, with the government urging farmers not to burn their crop stubbles after harvest season is completed by offering them financial perks in return. Farmers in these regions usually find it cheaper to burn residues of harvested crops to clear the land for fresh plantations.
Surprising Fact
According to a study carried out on breathing air with high PM 2.5 concentrations, the impact of breathing Delhi’s toxic air in November is as bad as smoking 10 to 15 cigarettes every day.
Further Reading
New Delhi’s air is a ‘crime against humanity,’ spurring calls to close schools (Reuters)
Delhi air: Leaders trade barbs as India capital pollution worsens (BBC)
Delhi air pollution: Biggest culprit this year, and possible solutions (Indian Express)
Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff
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