Toxic smog has turned India’s capital into a ‘gas chamber,’ environment minister says

Authorities have shut down primary schools, factories and construction sites to protect millions of New Delhi residents from toxic smog that has blanketed the capital city.

Authorities in India are rolling out new measures and restrictions Friday to protect 20 million New Delhi residents from toxic smog that has blanketed the capital city, including shutting down primary schools, factories and construction sites and urging people to work from home.

Several key landmarks in the megacity remain nearly invisible behind a thick blanket of hazy, orange-grey smog that has peaked to its most hazardous level this week.

A combination of factors brings thick, poisonous smog to New Delhi’s doorstep each winter, including factory emissions, vehicle exhaust and smoke from farmers burning crop stubble (the remains left behind after harvesting). It’s a consistent issue that has far-reaching health implications for the city’s residents.

A 2020 study from the Lancet Commission on pollution and health found that about 17,500 people died due to air pollution in Delhi in 2019. In the entire country, about 1.67 million deaths could be attributed to air pollution. Delhi is often ranked among the world’s most polluted cities.

Delhi’s 24-hour average air quality index (AQI), which measures levels of the most dangerous PM2.5 particles — very fine particles that can be easily inhaled, settle deep into the lungs, and even enter the bloodstream — crossed 470 on Friday, according to India’s Central Pollution Control Board.

Concentrations over 300 AQI are deemed hazardous by the international AQI rating system, which warns of serious health effects at this level of pollution. On Friday, some parts of New Delhi were even recording more than 600 AQI.

In response to the public health crisis, Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal announced that primary schools will be closed from Saturday onwards until “the pollution situation improves,” so that children can avoid going outside.

“No child should suffer in any way,” Kejriwal told reporters, according to AFP.