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Indian authorities closed factories and construction sites, restricted diesel vehicles, and deployed sprinklers and anti-smog guns to control the haze and smog that blanketed the capital region’s skyline.
With an air quality index above 470, considered “severe” and more than 10 times the global safe threshold, the Delhi government closed primary schools and restricted outdoor activities for older students, according to the state-run Central Pollution Control Board.
In the New Delhi suburb of New Oklahoma, known as NOIDA, many schools have turned to online classes in response to the public health crisis.
Smog shrouded monuments and high-rise buildings in and around New Delhi.
India’s environment minister Bhupender Yadav has accused the northern state of Punjab, ruled by the opposition Aam Admi party, of failing to stop burning crop residues at the start of the winter wheat planting season as a key factor in the pollution.
“There is no doubt who turned Delhi into a gas chamber,” Yadav tweeted.
The state’s top elected official, Baghwantman, has defended himself by saying his government took office only six months ago and that federal and state governments need to work together to tackle the pollution crisis.
Tricycle driver Sarvjeet Singh, 48, said the smoke hurt his eyes and he found it difficult to breathe.
“There are problems, especially in the morning. It’s hard to drive my car because of the pollution. My tricycle is on. It will affect us more than the people in the car. We have to work, what can we do?”
Rahul Azmera, a 29-year-old software engineer who works in the US and visited New Delhi with his parents, said: “I felt like if I stayed here for a month, I would definitely be hospitalized. That would be scary. I have a lot.”
“I feel heavy breathing here because of the pollution. I can barely see 100 meters (328 feet) or 200 meters (656 feet),” he said.
The government said in a statement late on Thursday that it was considering sweeping closures of schools, colleges, educational institutions and non-emergency business activities, as well as restrictions on private cars, if pollution levels did not drop by the end of the week.
The government advises children, the elderly and people with respiratory, cardiovascular and other health problems to avoid outdoor activities and stay indoors as much as possible.
Almost every year after Diwali celebrations, New Delhi tops many Indian cities with firecrackers set off in abundance.
The crisis is exacerbated especially in winter, when neighbouring countries burn crop residues while cooler temperatures produce deadly smog.
The smog spread to New Delhi, causing a surge in pollution in the city of more than 20 million people.
The government’s ban on construction and demolition activities includes projects such as highways, roads, flyovers, viaducts, transmission and pipelines.
The government has also asked authorities in the Indian capital region, including New Delhi and parts of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, to decide whether to allow public, municipal and private offices to work at 50%and ask others to work from home.
The federal government is also considering whether to allow working from home.
It said overall air quality in New Delhi is likely to remain at “severe” or “very severe” level until Saturday.
An environment ministry review will be held on Monday.
Emissions from industry and coal without pollution control technologies, which produce most of the country’s electricity, are linked to poor air quality in other urban areas.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country aims to stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere by 2070 — 20 years behind the United States and at least 10 years behind China.
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