New Delhi choked by toxic smog, official compares it to ‘gas chamber’

Forty million residents and visitors to India’s capital are choking through record levels of smog, and there’s no end in sight.

The capital of India has been declared a health emergency due to the toxic smog choking the city, with one official describing it as a “gas chamber”.

Five million masks were distributed at schools in New Delhi on Friday after health officials declared the pollution had deteriorated air quality to “severe” levels.

Flights were delayed and diverted from New Delhi’s international airport on Sunday when pilots could not see through the thick smog, which was more than three times the “hazardous” level on the global air quality index (AQI). A further 30 had to be cancelled, according to Insider.

Heavy smog covers Delhi, where visitors and locals say they are unable to breathe. Picture: Sajjad Hussain / AFP

“Delhi has turned into a gas chamber due to smoke from crop burning in neighbouring states,” the city’s top elected official Arvid Kejriwal said in a tweet. “It is very (important) that we protect ourselves from this toxic air.”

Authorities ordered schools closed until November 5, and Mr Kejriwal announced a plan to restrict the movement of private cars in the capital for nearly two weeks.

Halloween may well be over but Delhi has refused to take the mask off. Pollution levels have continued to stay hazardous, partly because of Diwali and because of crop-stubble burning. We are struggling with coarse throat with burning eyes.😷 #DelhiPollution #DelhiAirEmergency

— Deekshant Goyal (@deekshant_g) November 4, 2019

Eyes are burning because of this smog. Delhi and NCR! What have you guys done??!! #DelhiPollution #chennaismog

— Arvind Ramanathan (@arv_ra) November 4, 2019

Delhi is now covered with a toxic gas chamber. Eyes are burning; and airways chocked. The emergency situation can’t be handled by a BAU approach. Authorities MUST seriously act. 😞

— Arabinda K Padhee (@arvindpadhee) October 31, 2019

My eyes are burning and my head feels heavy. Thank you, Delhi. Thank you. #DelhiPollution

— Ershad Kaleebullah (@r3dash) November 4, 2019

Mr Kejriwal has asked people to use the masks – which are being handed out to students and their parents – as much as possible.

Thick white smog blanketed the city, with residents sharing photos on social media.

Rajpath Then and Now #DelhiAirQuality #DelhiSmog #DelhiChokes #delhiairpollution #Delhi pic.twitter.com/DyodqMxpyO

— sourav rony (@ronysourav8) November 1, 2019

#DelhiAirQuality pic.twitter.com/VSwpsnmtWC

— Om Panday (@OmPanday5) November 1, 2019

Air pollution in New Delhi generally peaks around November 1 due to a combination of smog from fireworks set during a Hindu festival and smoke from the burning of agricultural fields in the neighbouring states.

Tourists visit the India Gate under heavy smog condition in New Delhi. Picture: Sajjad Hussain / AFP

An uncompleted electrical tower amid heavy smog conditions, in New Delhi on November 3, 2019. Picture: Sajjad Hussain / AFP

Volunteers from civil defence are forced to wear masks while working outside in Delhi. Picture: Prakash Singh / AFP

The air quality index reading at the US Embassy in New Delhi for pollution particles in the air reached nine times the recommended WHO level on Friday. At such levels, people are advised to avoid all outdoor exertion due to health risks.

According to CNN, the AQI level remained above 800 in certain parts of the city, the worst levels in more than three years.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was in New Delhi on Friday. Images from her three-day visit to India show the smog around her.

A man wearing a face mask due to heavy smog conditions takes part in a demonstration demanding government measures to curb air pollution in New Delhi. Picture: Sajjad Hussain / AFP

A Supreme Court-appointed panel of experts has temporarily banned construction activity in the New Delhi region to control the dust in the air.

Siddharth Singh, a resident of Noida, a satellite city of Delhi, said “the air smelled like burning leaves”.

“Life in the smog is very strange,” he told CNN. “Many people have a persistent dry cough and itchy eyes. Everything is hazy, so the eyes don’t focus on objects in the distance. Everything looks morose.”

The choking smog has forced schools to close and cars to be taken off the road. Picture: Prakash Singh / AFP

Foreign tourists wear face masks as they visit the Taj Mahal under heavy smog conditions. Picture: Jewel Samad / AFP

Meanwhile, private cars running on petrol and diesel will be allowed in New Delhi only on alternate days from November 4 to 15 depending on whether they have even or odd-numbered plates.

Mr Kejriwal said similar restrictions in 2016 reduced air pollution by up to 13 per cent.

Last month Mr Kejriwal announced plans to sweep roads mechanically, plant trees and control pollution at 12 hot spots in the city.

India is home to many of the world’s most polluted cities.

– with Fox News and AP