Year’s worst air quality leaves Delhi gasping, IMA declares ‘health emergency’

New Delhi: Delhi’s air quality was at the season’s worst on Tuesday as a combined effect of smoke from stubble burning and moisture turned the city into a “gas chamber” leaving people gasping and prompting authorities to announce closure of primary schools and a four-fold hike in parking fees among a series of sweeping measures.

As a thick blanket of haze hung low over the city, visibility levels plunged, affecting flight and train operations. It permeated living rooms and even the underground metro stations in the city making it difficult to breathe, turning eyes watery and producing burning sensation.

The Indian Medical Association said the capital was witnessing a “public health emergency” and appealed to the government to stop outdoor sports and other such activities in schools to protect the health of children.

The Delhi government also issued a health advisory for high risk people, including children, the elderly, pregnant women and those suffering from asthma and heart ailments.

In the evening, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced that primary schools in the national capital will remain closed on Wednesday.

The Supreme Court-mandated Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority, empowered to enforce the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to contain emergency levels of pollution, announced that all measures under the plan’s severe category will be implemented across the region till further notice.

It also directed the states in the region to start preparing for implementing measures like ‘odd-even’ in light of the “crisis situation”.

Poor visibility hampered flight operations, leading to delays in schedule of over 300 flights by up to two hours as only one of the three runways could be used while around 25 Delhi-bound trains were delayed.

With a score of 448 in a scale of 500, the air quality index was in the ‘severe’ category for the second time this year. However, when Diwali fireworks had triggered high pollution October 20, the AQI index was had a lower reading at 403.