The terrible layer of air pollution that has been suffocating New Delhi for days is not diminishing, but is actually increasing. In the Indian capital, an order was issued for half of public office employees to continue working from home. It was then announced that, thanks to an emergency measure, schools would be closed for the week. Recommendations are to try to stay indoors as much as possible. The authorities advised those who can only go out to wear a mask to protect themselves as much as possible from pollution, the level of which is considered very harmful to health.

Traditionally, in this season, the gases typical of the city, one of the most polluted cities in the world, are added to the fumes coming from the surrounding countryside, as farmers set fire to crop residue. Every year thousands of people in New Delhi die prematurely from diseases related to exposure to polluted air. In the Indian capital, the Air Quality Index (AQI) has now exceeded the 400 threshold for fine dust, a level considered “severe” and more than 10 times the global safety threshold.