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India

Delhi Hit by Severe Air Pollution

My colleagues reported last night on the severe air pollution that has enveloped Delhi:

NEW DELHI—India’s capital ordered the city’s schools closed for three days starting Monday, as authorities moved to combat the effects of thick smog that has choked residents and prompted public outcry.

Some public elementary schools in New Delhi had been shut Saturday as well, but Sunday’s decision marked the first time the local government closed all schools citywide to avoid exposing children to toxic air, a spokesman for the Delhi government said. According to measurements by the U.S. embassy in New Delhi, the concentrations of the tiny pollutant particles that penetrate deep into lungs have been at hazardous levels for much of the past week.

Car exhaust, soot from burning garbage, and dust from unregulated building activity cause the megacity’s air to be ranked among the world’s most dangerous.

See also this story we ran last week, providing some good background info on what’s causing the smog. If you’re interested in the issue, I also came across an informative website called DelhiAir.org, which has a lot of good material.

Stay tuned for more. I will also aim to post a few images.

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