India’s Supreme Court has accused state governments of “passing the buck” on air pollution as Delhi residents take to social media to share pictures of the thick shroud of pollution surrounding the city.
Levels of dangerous particles in the air, referred to as MP2.5 are ten times over the safe limits in the capital, prompting people to wear masks and stay in their homes.
"Delhi is choking every year and we are unable to do anything," said Supreme Court Justice Arun Mishra.
The state machinery is not acting… They are passing the buck to each other... Everybody is interested in gimmicks and elections.
Officials said from 4 to 15 November cars with odd or even number plates will only be allowed on the roads on alternative days, though it is not clear if this actually helps lower pollution levels.
Indians have taken to sharing pictures of the pollution on Twitter in an attempt to raise awareness.
They are calling on their government to do more to reduce pollution.
Delhi -NCR draped in air pollution. Its exceeding over 1000 AQI, from one end to another end of delhi.… https://t.co/pw6syytLj2— Abhimanyu Thakur 🇮🇳 (@Abhimanyu Thakur 🇮🇳) 1572782369
150 KM from Delhi. Smog all around. https://t.co/bJsDfdfNpf— Kapil (@Kapil) 1572779610
Airlines and airports should provide quality masks to all their airside staff in northern states. Hope @DGCAIndia m… https://t.co/CLH6K4l4wL— Tarun Shukla (@Tarun Shukla) 1572783655
"This is hazardous air pollution".
Sorry your assumption is wrong this is not kohra he kohra(Fog) but hazardous #AirPollution in Delhi. We must serio… https://t.co/SWaW3jy7sH— Rishabh Anand (@Rishabh Anand) 1572783867
Delhi is indeed a gas chamber! #DelhiAirEmergency #DelhiPollution #Chernobyl https://t.co/lPvkk0eXQB— Pranitha Sitharthan (@Pranitha Sitharthan) 1572785007
Left pic is of #Patna sky and right pic is of #Delhi sky today. #DelhiPollution is killing us https://t.co/hLNQPVVXZU— Kadambini Sharma (@Kadambini Sharma) 1572617149
People are reporting that their eyes feel like they are "burning".
This place is killing. Eyes are burning, can't breathe, can't go out... Is this what I pay tax for? Not have clean… https://t.co/TgrbiYOMbj— Sonia Das (@Sonia Das) 1572784399
And they developed headaches due to the pollution.
The view from my balcony Is no view at all. I have a persistent head ache. This is sick. #DelhiPollution #DelhiSmog https://t.co/YQxZcRusD1— Supriya Shrinate (@Supriya Shrinate) 1572760857
Severe air pollution kills tens of thousands of people each year, including 40,000 in the UK alone according to a report from 2016 which assessed the impact air pollution has on public health.
It is also linked to a host of illnesses including dementia, type 2 diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and a decline in lung function in adults.
More: Trump Jr is trying to claim that his dad wasn't booed at UFC when he blatantly was
More: Footballer deletes his twitter account after mistaking Jeremy Corbyn for Boris Johnson