New Delhi – The government of the Indian capital New Delhi has decided to close schools for a week from Monday in view of the dangerously high level of air pollution. Classes will be held online to protect children, New Delhi Prime Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Saturday. Civil servants and government employees have been asked to work from home during the same period. A similar recommendation had also been made for private companies.
Construction work that contributes to dust pollution will be banned from Monday to Wednesday, he added. The metropolitan area around India’s capital had been shrouded in stinky, gray smog for more than a week. Reports said smoke from countless stubble fields burned by local farmers had mixed with the already heavily polluted air. Earlier, the countless fireworks that were set off despite the ban on the Hindu festival of lights Diwali in early November had worsened the situation.
On Saturday, fine particle pollution in the capital region was around six to eight times higher than the limit values recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). New Delhi has a population of around 25 million and in recent years has been considered one of the most polluted cities in the world.
