NEW DELHI, India (Reuters) — A thick cloud of toxic smog 10 times the recommended limit enveloped India’s capital New Delhi on Monday (November 13), as government officials struggled to tackle a public health crisis that is well into its second week.
A U.S. embassy measure showed levels of poisonous airborne particles, known as PM 2.5, had reached 495 on Monday morning, compared with the upper limit of “good” quality air at 50. India’s weather office said forecast rain over the next three days could help clear the smog.
Most private and public schools reopened on Monday after a four-day break announced by the Delhi administration. Schools in Gurugram, a satellite city and business hub near New Delhi, remained closed on Monday.
The Delhi state government declared a public health emergency last week after pollution levels in the city spiked, a yearly phenomenon blamed on a combination of illegal crop burning in northern states, vehicle exhausts and dust.
