Pollution in the Indian capital hit a dangerous level on Tuesday, putting residents at risk, forcing the closure of schools, and bringing calls from doctors for the city’s half marathon to be cancelled.
Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the city had once become a “gas chamber”.
Schools for younger children were ordered shut on Wednesday and all outdoor activity at high schools suspended. A thick fog that hung over the sprawling city worsened conditions. Residents complained of smarting eyes and irritation in the throat.
In some parts of Delhi, the air quality was so poor that it was beyond the maximum level, according to the US Embassy’s real-time air quality index. It stood at 999 for RK Puram area beyond which no readings are available. That level is equal to smoking 50 cigarettes a day, Dr Arvind Kumar, chairman for chest surgery at Sir Ganga Ram hospital, said.
