"The authorities in New Delhi closed schools and urged residents to stay home. Similar measures have been implemented in Punjab, Pakistan’s largest province."
"The authorities in New Delhi closed schools and urged people to stay indoors as toxic smog, which has plagued neighboring Pakistan for weeks, choked India’s capital in what officials called a medical emergency.
New Delhi and the surrounding metropolitan area, home to about 55 million people, had the world’s worst air pollution on Monday, according to IQAir, a Swiss company that measures air quality. The reading on its index rose to over 1,600.
Anything above 301 on that index is considered hazardous, potentially leading to severe eye and throat irritation and serious heart and lung conditions. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency essentially considers anything beyond 500 to be off the charts.
“All of North India has been plunged into a medical emergency,” Atishi Marlena, the chief minister of Delhi, said on Monday, adding that many cities were “reeling under severe levels of pollution.”"
Yan Zhuang reports for the New York Times November 18, 2024.
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