New Delhi pollution so bad United Airlines halts flights

New Delhi officials will lobby Monday for a plan to ration the use of private cars amid a grimy cloud of pollution so foul that United Airlines has halted flights to India’s capital, while many residents wore masks for their Sunday strolls.

Many schools have been closed since the toxic air mass descended on the region almost a week ago. The government has banned most construction and industrial activity. Most trucks and heavy vehicles have been parked. Residents were urged to stay inside and wear masks outside.

“It comes inside the house, even if you close your windows,” Shyami Sodhi, a Delhi resident, told Sky News. “It’s difficult to breathe.”

The city is considering a plan to blast water from fire trucks and water cannons into the air to help wash away the haze.

A pollution crisis is nothing new to the region. The city is teeming with old cars, trucks and motorbikes unimpeded by mitigation technology. Cooking and industrial emissions add to the problem. And in spring and fall, the noxious clouds from trash and agricultural debris burned outside the city can hover for weeks.

Britain’s government has issued an advisory to travelers that “severe air pollution is a major hazard to public health in Delhi.” Children, the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions may be especially affected, the government warns.

United Airlines spokesman Jonathan Guerin said the airline is monitoring advisories as the region combats a “public health emergency.”

“United temporarily suspended our Newark-Delhi flights due to poor air quality concerns in Delhi and currently has waiver policies in place for customers who are traveling to, from or through Delhi,” Guerin said in a statement.