Thick white smoke lies like a blanket over the city. According to Delhi's chief minister, the capital has been transformed into a gas chamber. With such poor air quality now prevailing, people are encouraged to stay indoors and avoid all outdoor activity due to health risks.
Schools are closedThe five million face masks that have been distributed to young people and their parents should be used as often as possible, the authorities urge.
The Delhi governors announced an emergency on Friday and ordered the city's schools to remain closed until November 5. In addition, a temporary construction stop has been introduced in the Delhi region to reduce the levels of dust in the air. Since Monday, there are also severe restrictions on private car traffic in the capital.
Lethal smokeMany residents are furious that the situation is the same year after year. The air pollution in Delhi is usually greatest in November and December. This is mainly because farmers in neighboring states such as Haryana and Punjab are burning off their harvested fields.
More than two million farmers in the region burn 23 million tons of plant parts each winter on some 80,000 square kilometers of land. The fires are so extensive that they are visible on the US space agency NASA's satellite images.
The smoke from the fires consists of a dangerous mix of carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide.
The situation is further aggravated by the smoke from fireworks which is postponed during the Hindu festival Diwali.
On Twitter, the hashtags #DelhiAirQuality and #FightAgainstDelhiPollution are trending