The people who live in India’s capital, New Delhi, woke up the next day shrouded in a thick blanket of fog caused the critical levels of pollution which exceeded the worst episodes of pollution, a problem that has brought to this city, this sinister reputation as one of the most polluted mega-cities in the world.
Two days ago, the city’s wide arteries were shrouded in gray, the flats looked like huge grey clouds, and the pedestrians were forced to walk on the street with a cloth on their face as a minimal protection method.
Situations similar to the one New Delhi is confronting now, an urban crowded place of about 20 million inhabitants, questions the viability of human lifestyle in such areas that are heavily populated.
During the afternoon, when the particle concentrations are lower, the measuring instruments indicated dangerous levels of ultra-fine particles (PM2.5), between 300 and 650.
The World Health Organization (WHO) urges the authorities that the value should not exceed a daily average of 25.
“When I left home, I started to cough and my eyes began to bruise. It is unbearable for people”, stated New Delhi inhabitant Naresh Yadav.
Not being aware of the massive blanket of pollution, many New Delhi people believed that this mist has natural origins.
Meanwhile, the Indian medical association said the metropolis is in a “state of public health emergency” and urged to decision-makers to react.
“Delhi became unbearable, especially for children”, revealed businessman Vipin Malhotra.
Due to the low visibility, a runway of the international airport was suspended.
Local authorities are also thinking about closing the schools
Meteorological forecasts provide an identical situation in the upcoming days.
The smog episodes are recurring in autumn and winter in New Delhi, a city which the WHO has classified as the world’s most polluted in 2014.
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