Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced “pollution lockdown”, a one-week closure of schools due to pollution so, the children don’t have to breath polluted air.
Delhi is ranked as one of the world’s most polluted cities because of the polluted air emission from its factories, cars and agricultural fires.
The Supreme Court of India has suggested this lockdown on Delhi to combat the air quality crisis.
Kejriwal said that construction activity will be stopped for few days to reduce the dust in the air that usually generates form vast and open sites.
Government and private offices were suggested to work-from-home to avoid breathing polluted air.
The Central Pollution Control Board suggested the Delhi government to be prepared for any type of emergency situation.
Central Pollution Control Board also said this situation will remain till 18th November due to low winds with calm conditions at night.
The smallest and most harmful PM 2.5 particles has been found in the air at a 20 times higher rate than the recommendation of World Health Organization.
Hospitals in Delhi has also reported that patients are suffering from breathing difficulties due to the air quality.
Despite a Supreme Court ban, the Delhi’s neighbouring states has continued to burn agricultural waste. This has a great contribution in increasing the city’s pollution levels every winter.
Nearly ten thousand farmers live in the neighbouring cities of the capital who burn their stubble in the beginning of every winter to clear the field form recently harvested paddies and make way for wheat.
In the beginning of 2021, Delhi government has established a “smog tower” to pump 1,000 cubic metres of air per second through filters.
But engineers say that this machine only purify the air of harmful particles within a radius of one square kilometre.
Last year the Yamuna River, that flows through Delhi has also choked with white foam.
The Delhi government has blamed the heavy sewage and industrial waste for the condition of the river.
