Delhi shuts schools as it mulls ‘pollution lockdown
Summery
Indian capital’s poor air quality would likely run until at least November 18 due to ‘low winds’.
Explanation
Authorities in India’s capital, New Delhi, have announced a one-week closure of schools and said they would consider a “pollution lockdown” to protect citizens from worsening levels of toxic smog.
“Schools will be shut so that children don’t have to breathe polluted air,” Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal told reporters on Saturday, adding that construction activity would also be halted for four days.
Government offices were asked to operate from home and private businesses were advised to stick to work-from-home options as much as possible. The city is ranked one of the world’s most polluted, with a hazardous melange of factory and vehicle emissions, as well as smoke from agricultural fires, settling in the skies over its 20 million people each winter.
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