Noxious New Delhi air triggers curbs, schools go online
City authorities have banned demolition work, road repairs
India's capital city faced very poor air quality for the third day as thick smog enveloped the capital city, forcing the local government to implement traffic curbs and order schools to switch to online classes.
The Air Quality Index of New Delhi since Nov. 13 has been "hovering in 'Severe' category due to heavy fog and unfavorable meteorological conditions in the entire Indo-Gangetic plain," the Commission for Air Quality Management overseeing the broader metropolitan region said in an order Thursday.
The forecast indicates that air quality in the city will remain at the "higher end of 'Very Poor' category, it added, imposing stricter curbs starting Friday that aimed to curtail pollution.
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The Commission announced measures such as banning excavation and demolition work in construction, and road repair among several other pollution-causing activities.
Other efforts include mechanized sweeping of roads, daily water sprinkling along with dust suppressants before peak traffic hours and encouraging off-peak public transport travel, according to the order.
The world's second most-populated metropolitan area that's home to about 33 million people, has risen to the most-polluted list of global cities due to a combination of vehicle emissions, agricultural fires and low seasonal wind speeds.
Nearly half the families in and around New Delhi sought medical help for respiratory ailments connected to severe pollution, a recent survey found. About 81% of the respondents reported that at least one family member was experiencing an illness linked to toxic air, it said.
