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Delhi closes schools because it examines “pollution blockade” News

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The poor air quality in the Indian capital would last at least until November 18 due to “low winds”.

Authorities in India’s capital, New Delhi, have announced a week-long closure of schools and said they will consider a “pollution blockade” to protect citizens from harmful levels of toxic smog.

“Schools will be closed so that children do not have to breathe polluted air,” Prime Minister Arvind Kejriwal told reporters on Saturday, adding that construction activities will also be stopped for four days.

Government offices were asked to operate from home and private businesses were advised to retain as many opportunities to work from home as possible.

The city is one of the most polluted in the world, with a dangerous mix of factory and vehicle emissions, as well as smoke from agricultural fires, which in winter settle in the skies of its more than 20 million inhabitants.

On Saturday, the Supreme Court proposed imposing a blockade on Delhi to deal with the air quality crisis. “How can we live otherwise?” Ramana NV was told by the High Court.

Kejriwal said his government would consider the court’s suggestion after consulting with stakeholders.

“The blockade of pollution has never happened. It will be an extreme step,” he said.

On Friday, the Central Commission for Pollution Control advised authorities to prepare for the implementation of “emergency” category measures.

He added that poor air quality will last at least until November 18, “due to the low winds at night with calm conditions.”

On Saturday, the lowest and most harmful levels of PM 2.5 particles that could enter the bloodstream reached 300 in the air quality index.

The maximum daily limit recommended by the World Health Organization is 20 times higher.

Al Jazeera’s Pavni Mittalm, who reported from New Delhi, said people in the city were “waking up with thick smog” more than a week ago.

“The situation is particularly deteriorating at this time of year,” he said, noting the onset of winter and the rise in farm fires in neighboring states, among other things.

The Delhi government has for years promised to clean up the city’s air.

The burning of agricultural waste in the states around Delhi – the main cause of the city’s pollution level in winter – has continued despite the Supreme Court’s ban.

Tens of thousands of farmers in the capital burn their fields – or crop residues – in early winter to clear their fields from recently harvested gardens.

The number of farm fires this season has been the highest in the last four years, according to government data.

Earlier this year, the Delhi government opened its first “smog tower” with 40 huge fans that pump air filters per 1,000 cubic meters per second.

The $ 2 million facility halves the number of harmful airborne particles, but only one square mile (within a 0.4-square-mile radius), according to engineers.

A Swiss report by IQAir in 2020 found that 22 of the 30 most polluted cities in the world were in India, and Delhi was ranked as the most polluted capital in the world.

On Saturday, the lowest and most harmful levels of PM 2.5 particles that could enter the bloodstream reached 300 in the air. [File: Money Sharma/ AFP]



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