Saumya Khandelwal – Reuters
Don’t walk. Don’t go to school. Don’t breathe too fast.
That’s just some of the advice from authorities in Delhi, India this past week, when the smog became so thick that is was described by the local government as a “gas chamber.”
Last November, the city experienced some of its worst pollution in decades, and this year looks like it’s going to be a repeat. Here’s what it’s like for people who live in the Indian capital right now:.
The air quality index, which measures the levels of five major pollutants in the air, is above 400 in Delhi. That’s the highest pollution category. The air is called “hazardous” at this level.
Saumya Khandelwal – Reuters
For comparison, the air in Shanghai is registering around 40 on the World Air Quality Index, and in New York City on Friday night it was 33, according to EPA measurements.
Breathing is worse than inhaling two packs of cigarettes a day.
Thomson Reuters
Just breathing the air is about as bad as smoking 44 cigarettes a day right now, CNN reports.
The levels of smog being recorded right now in Delhi are more than 20 times worse than in Beijing, a city that often deals with heavy pollution.
Cathal McNaughton – Reuters
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
