Last winter the air quality in New Delhi reached critical levels forcing officials to roll-out strict anti-pollution rules (which shows how the city deals with its yearly smog problems)
The local administration announced a set of quick-action steps: diesel trucks cant enter the city‚ schools must switch to online classes‚ and office-workers should work from home. Road-cleaning teams got orders to spray water mixed with dust-control chemicals; while mechanical sweepers would clean the streets
The citys air quality index hit 465 — thats in the severe-plus range. Weather experts say low winds and cold air trapped all the bad stuff in the air. The temperature dropped to about 14°C that monday which didnt help the situation
Around 38% of New Delhis air problems come from nearby farmers who burn whats left after rice harvest in Punjab and Haryana states. This mix of smoke fog and city pollution creates a thick grey blanket over the capital when winter comes. The weather office said these bad-air conditions would stay until that weekend
- Groups that should stay inside:
- Kids
- Old people
- Anyone with breathing problems
- People with heart issues
- Those who have other long-term health issues
The government team made an eight-point plan and asked everyone to follow it — especially those at-risk folks should avoid going outside