IMA declares Public Health Emergency in New Delhi

New Delhi, Nov 7: The Indian Medical Association was declared a public health emergency in New Delhi on Tuesday as a choking blanket of smog descended on the capital city.

The Indian Medical Association's (IMA) declaration came as the US embassy website said levels of the fine pollutants known as PM2.5 that are most harmful to health reached 703 well over double the threshold of 300 that authorities class as hazardous.

Delhi has become a gas chamber. Every year this happens during this part of year. We have to find a soln to crop burning in adjoining states



"We have declared a state of public health emergency in Delhi since pollution is at an alarming level+ ," the head of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Krishan Kumar Aggarwal told AFP. "Delhi authorities have to make every possible effort to curb this menace."

The World Health Organization in 2014 classed New Delhi as the world's most polluted capital, with air quality levels worse than Beijing.

Since then authorities have closed power plants temporarily and experimented with taking some cars off the road. But on Tuesday many residents said too little was being done to tackle the scourge.