News Desk
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Delhi was the world’s most polluted major city on Saturday morning, according to Swiss air-quality group IQAir. The reading came a day before Diwali, when firecrackers usually worsen the capital’s smog.
Schools in and around Delhi have been told to offer online classes.
How polluted is Delhi’s air ahead of Diwali?
IQAir’s live ranking put Delhi’s US air quality index at 581 at 10:35am local time (0505 GMT). That is roughly double the 285 recorded in Lahore, Pakistan. India’s official monitor, the Central Pollution Control Board, recorded a lower reading of 363 at 10am, in its “very poor” category.
The two readings cannot be compared directly. IQAir bases its index on pollutant concentrations and uses a different scale and methodology from India’s official system.
What measures have been announced for schools and offices?
Schools in and around Delhi have been told to hold online classes, and people have been encouraged to work from home ahead of the festival on Sunday. The source material does not say which authority issued these directions.
Local media, citing official data, reported that Friday’s air quality was the worst recorded before Diwali in eight years.
Why does Delhi’s air get so bad in winter?
Air pollution returns to much of northern India every year as winter sets in. Cold, heavy air traps emissions from vehicles, dust from construction sites and smoke from the burning of crop waste near the ground.
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