The government of the capital of India, New Delhi, has ordered Friday the closure of all public and private schools from Saturday and recommended partial telework in view of the danger posed by the increase in air pollution in recent days and that has reached up to almost 40 times the maximum level stipulated by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The National Commission for Air Quality Management has also asked the state government of Delhi, as well as that of the states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to «start adopting similar measures» for the same reasons.
The closures were announced Friday by Delhi state minister Arvin Kejriwal, who warned of a health crisis posed by the «beret» of pollution now blanketing the capital, a combination of construction dust or smoke from the massive burning of crop stubble trapped by the heavy winter air.
The telework order, he clarified, would in principle affect 50 percent of the total civil service in the capital, according to an appearance reported by the Indian channel NDTV.
The capital government has also banned all petrol and diesel trucks from entering the capital, except those carrying essential cargo, and suspended «all types of construction and demolition activities as well as road repairs».
«Air pollution is a north Indian problem. Local governments are not solely responsible and now is not the time to play ‘who is to blame’,» the state minister said, before advancing that additional measures are being prepared if this crisis persists, such as the suspension of traffic on odd or even days.
The State Supreme Court is scheduled to meet on November 10 to address this exceptional situation, as announced by the judicial authorities on a day that the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the capital has increased in the national capital to 472 points, a level of «severe» pollution, with maximums in some neighborhoods of 800 points, according to official data collected by the ‘Times of India’.
