New Delhi on Saturday ordered schools to be closed for a week and is considering lockdown to protect the population from a cloud of pollution.
“From Monday, schools will be closed so that children do not have to breathe polluted air,” Chief Minister of the Indian capital Arvind Kejriwal told reporters.
Populated by 20 million inhabitants, the Indian capital is the most polluted in the world according to a report by the Swiss organization IQAir published in 2020, because of its factories, its traffic and agricultural fires lit every winter.
On Saturday, the Supreme Court suggested imposing lockdown on Delhi to combat deteriorating air quality. “How else are we going to be able to live? Said Chief Justice NV Ramana.
Kejriwal said his government would consider the proposal after consulting with stakeholders. “Containment due to pollution has never taken place before. It will be an extreme measure, ”he said.
Construction work will be stopped for four days, from Sunday, to stop polluting emissions from outdoor sites, he announced. Civil servants must telecommute, and private companies have been urged to do so as much as possible.
The Central Pollution Control Bureau on Friday asked residents to “limit outdoor activities” and advised government authorities to prepare “for the implementation of emergency measures”.
He added that the poor air quality would likely be maintained at least until November 18 because of “weak winds and calm conditions overnight”.
On Saturday, levels of PM 2.5 particles – the smallest and most harmful, which can enter the bloodstream – surpassed 300 on the Air Quality Index. This is 20 times the maximum daily limit recommended by the World Health Organization.
Hospitals have reported a sharp increase in the number of patients complaining of breathing difficulties, the Times of India reported.
“We see 12-14 patients a day in the emergency room, mostly at night, when symptoms cause sleep disturbances and panic,” Dr. Suranjit Chatterjee of Apollo Hospitals told the newspaper.
Agricultural fires
The New Delhi government has been committed to cleaning up the city’s air for years.
The incineration of agricultural waste in states neighboring New Delhi has continued despite a Supreme Court ban.
Tens of thousands of farmers around the capital burn their stubble – or crop residue – at the start of each winter, clearing fields from recently harvested rice paddies to make way for wheat. According to government data, the number of farm fires this season was the highest in the past four years.
Earlier this year, the New Delhi government unveiled its first giant air purifier containing 40 fans that pump 1,000 cubic meters of air per second through filters.
The $ 2 million facility halves the amount of harmful particles in the air, but only within a square kilometer radius, engineers say.