Farmers are a powerful voting bloc and remain defiant about their role in the smog, saying they cannot switch to more expensive methods without substantial government support.
The ash-grey smoke from the fires contributes to the blanket of hazardous smog that settles on New Delhi every winter when cooler air traps pollutants close to the ground.
Various piecemeal government initiatives have failed to measurably address the problem, with the smog blamed for thousands of premature deaths each year and particularly impacting the health of children and the elderly.
City authorities on Tuesday extended an order for all schools to switch to online classes for all students and added to restrictions on diesel-powered trucks and construction in a bid to ease the smog.
Authorities hope by keeping children at home, traffic will be reduced.
On Tuesday, air quality had slightly improved, with PM2.5 pollutant levels hitting 309 micrograms per cubic metre in New Delhi, according to IQAir pollution monitors, 20 times higher than the WHO daily safe limit.
A report by The New York Times this month, based on samples collected over five years, revealed dangerous fumes also spewing from a power plant incinerating rubbish from the capital’s landfill garbage mountains.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/illegal-farm-fires-fuel-india-capital-smog-misery-air-pollution-4756546
