Air Pollution: Delhi Smog Reaches Record High, Prompts Emergency Measures

The Indian government has imposed emergency measures due to a significant decline in air quality in New Delhi. On Sunday alone, readings of respirable air pollutants, PM 2.5 and PM 10, alarmingly exceeded almost 10 times the maximum safe level.

Schools all over New Delhi had been ordered to shut down for the next three days. On top of this, construction and demolition works are barred for the next five days or so. If the case becomes even worse, they might follow in China's footsteps in taking stringent measures with the usage of vehicles. It is approximated that there might be an "odd-even traffic scheme," which will only allow motorists to use vehicles on alternate days.

According to reports, there are possibilities that this high smog level is due to the Sunday celebration of Diwali, but experts have yet to confirm such allegations. Residents have complained of almost zero visibility accompanied with a strong burning smell in the air, which gives people a choking feeling. A number of netizens have posted their own experiences of the smog, with the #DelhiChokes, #DelhiPollution and #DelhiAirQuality among the trending hashtags from the previous days.

Experts compared this crisis with the Great London smog in 1952, which claimed approximately 4,000 lives. The Indian government may take more stringent measures in the next days as the city's toxic air poses a health risk to millions of its people.