Tanzim Taqrim
Despite lethal pollution making Indian children sick, they are still going to school. Toxic smog is 10 times the recommended limit in the capital New Delhi. 40% of children there suffer from severe lung problems. A week earlier, air pollution retched New Delhi and much of northern India. Toxic airborne particles called “PM2.5” reached 28-30 times the amount deemed safe by the World Health Organization (WHO). Doctors said the Indian capital faced a public health emergency, and told residents to stay indoors. In response the government closed 6000 schools from for five days. The government also banned construction and stopped certain trucks from entering the city. All India Parents Association President Ashok Agrawal said to AFP, “On one hand the government is saying there is a health emergency and on the other they are playing with children’s health.” Over 20 of the world’s most polluted cities are in India. Air pollution there kills approximately 2.5 million people each year.