Smog paralyzed India. Schools and airports were closed
It is visible from space, paralyzed the operation of airports and threatens the health and life of people. Record-breaking smog covered India.
It stretches from New Delhi to the Bay of Bengal. A giant cloud of smog covered the sky over India. The poisonous cloud is visible in satellite images sent by NASA. On Sunday, all flights from New Delhi Airport were canceled and planes scheduled to land there were turned back due to low visibility.
Critical readings
Air quality sensors in the Indian capital showed a critical level on Sunday. The level of the average daily concentration of particulate matter PM10 exceeded 530 micrograms per cubic meter, which is more than twenty times the warning level set by the WHO. In a graphic with readings from official sensors, posted by Indian politician Arvind Kejriwal, it can be seen that the pollution exceeds the maximum limits on the scale. All schools in the capital were closed until November 5. Construction works were suspended and road transport was limited. The government also distributed over 5 million masks with particulate filters to students.
New Delhi ranks as the world’s most polluted city according to Greenpeace. The ranking of the ecological organization shows that as many as 22 out of 30 cities at the top of the infamous ranking are in India. There are seven of them in the top ten.
According to government data from 2016, 18 million citizens live in the Indian capital. There are also 8.8 million registered motor vehicles in the city.
