Delhi, the capital of India, is drowning in smog forcing the authorities to take emergency measures, declaring a state of emergency in the capital of 30 million inhabitants.

According to the Guardian, authorities have decided to close schools and universities and ban outside work.

Delhi and the surrounding metropolitan area consistently top the global rankings for winter air pollution.

Scientists are sounding the alarm that air pollution in the world’s most populous city will reduce the life expectancy of residents by up to seven years.

Air quality in northern India has worsened since last week. Levels of PM2.5 pollutants – dangerous cancer-causing tiny particles that enter the bloodstream through the lungs – were recorded more than 50 times above the daily maximum recommended by the World Health Organization on Wednesday.

Smog has become a source of misery in Delhi, with various piecemeal government initiatives failing to measurably address the problem.

The smog caused a series of problems across northern India, including flight and train delays and cancellations. Hospitals have reported an increase in patients coming in with respiratory and gastrointestinal problems linked to pollution, according to doctors.

The government also banned on Thursday and urged people to use more public transport and avoid using coal and wood for heating, without saying how long the measures would be in place.

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Toxic smog has also engulfed Pakistan’s Punjab, which authorities have declared a state of emergency.

Leave for medical staff has been cancelled, all educational institutions are closed until further notice and restaurants will close at 4pm. The authorities impose a lockdown in the cities of Multan and Lahore and stop construction work in both places.

“Smog is currently a national calamity,” Aurangzeb said. “It won’t all be over in a month or a year. We will assess the situation after three days and then announce a further strategy.”

Average air quality index readings in parts of Lahore, a city of 11 million people, exceeded 600 on Friday. Anything over 300 is considered a health hazard.

Smog in both countries is mainly caused by farmers burning reeds to clear their fields for plowing, as well as factories and traffic fumes. Cooler temperatures and slow winds make matters worse by trapping deadly pollutants each winter, which runs from mid-October to at least January.