Air pollution reached a level more than 60 times higher than the maximum threshold set by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday, November 18, in the Indian capital, New Delhi, according to measurements carried out by the company IQAir.
The concentration of PM2.5 microparticles, the most dangerous because they diffuse directly into the blood, was quantified in the morning at 907 micrograms per cubic meter of air in certain parts of the megacity of 30 million inhabitants, according to these measurements.
The city faces pollution spikes every winter caused by toxic fumes from factories and road traffic, to which are added at this time of year those from seasonal agricultural burning.
Local authorities activated level 4 of their alert plan on Sunday afternoon “to avoid further deterioration of air quality”. Most schools in the area remained closed on Monday, movement restrictions were tightened and the use of teleworking is strongly recommended, until further notice.
According to the WHO, air pollution can cause cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, as well as lung cancer. A study published last June established that air pollution was responsible for 11.5% of mortality in Delhi, or 12,000 deaths a year.
