Toxic smog is choking the Indian capital of New Delhi where a public health emergency has been declared. Pollution levels in the Indian capital have hit almost 30 times the World Health Organisation's (WHO) limits, with the concentration of harmful PM 2.5 particles topping 700.
In some parts of New Delhi, air pollution has topped a maximum reading of 999, the equivalent of smoking 50 cigarettes a day.
The smog was also blamed for a 24-car motorway pile-up on the outskirts of the capital which left several motorists injured.
The dense blanket of smog has led to the Indian Medical Association issuing a public health emergency warning, urging administrators to finally “curb this menace”.
Authorities in the notoriously foggy city have also shut all schools in the Indian capital, where an estimated five million students are enrolled.
Densely populated Delhi is one of the most polluted cities on the planet due to pollution from diesel engines, coal-fired power plants and industrial emissions.
Firecrackers set off to celebrate last month's Diwali festival of lights in the city, as well as farmers illegally burning crop stubble after the harvest in northern India, have exacerbated the problem, AFP reports.
Delhi's air quality typically worsens before the onset of winter as cooler air traps pollutants near the ground and prevents them from dispersing into the atmosphere, a phenomenon known as inversion.
