Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Delhi shuts schools as it mulls ‘pollution lockdown’
Delhi ranked the most polluted capital in the world. But this year, India’s capital city is suffering the worst ever air pollution as levels of PM 2.5 particles reached 300 on the air quality index, 20 times higher than the maximum daily limit by the World Health Organization. PM 2.5 particles are the smallest and most harmful air dust that could enter the bloodstream. Besides the business activities in the city, the practice of burning agricultural waste in the neighboring states contributes to the worsening air quality along with the low level of wind especially at this time of year. For farmers, who feed the world’s largest population of 1.4 billion, burning the crop residue is essential to clear fields to prepare for the next season. But the air quality in the early part of November worsened so badly that Delhi had to impose “pollution lockdown,” closing all schools for at least a week, limiting business activities, and encouraging work-from-home.
Though India has been suffering from such severe air pollution in its homeland, it was one of the developing countries that were reluctant to take aggressive yet necessary measures to curb global warming at COP26. People in Delhi seem to need facemasks even after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read the article and learn about how serious Delhi’s air pollution is.
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