New Delhi, India’s Capital and one of its biggest cities, was covered with toxic smoke on Friday, and the conditions deteriorated so much that some schools were forced to close. Also, Aheed Khan, a Delhi-based doctor said “In my last 24 hours duty, I saw babies coughing, children coming with distress and rapid breathing.” Some of the causes that led to this situation are lower temperatures, stationary (not moving) wind, and crop stubble burning from farmers. Crop stubble burning is when farmers burn the remains of grains that are unusable in their farms. The Air Quality Index in New Delhi was a staggering 480 in some areas, and for comparison, 50-100 is considered to be good, while 400-500 is considered to affect healthy people, and a threat to people with preexisting diseases.
According to Ashwani Kumar, chairman of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, “This pollution level is here to stay for the next two to three weeks, aggravated by incidents of stubble burning, slow wind speed and cooling temperatures.” This air quality issue is even worse considering India is hosting the World Cup this year.
Not only Delhi, but India’s financial capital Mumbai is also suffering from the pollution levels.
End of Article Quiz:
If you get all of the questions correct, or close to correct, it means you understood the article. (Answer key below)
- What is New Delhi suffering from?
- What is something that happened because of the air quality?
- What are some factors that led to this situation?
- What is another city in India that is hurt by the pollution?
Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/india-new-delhi-pollution-schools-rcna123467
Answer Key:
- Toxic haze and air quality deterioration.
- Some schools were forced to close, and kids/babies got sick
- Lower temperatures, stationary winds, crop stubble burning.
- Mumbai
