A man crosses a street in smoggy conditions in New Delhi, India on Monday. Millions of people in India's capital started the week choking through "eye-burning" smog, with schools closed, cars taken off the road and construction halted. Photo: AFP

 

India's top court has ordered a complete halt to stubble burning around Delhi, a major contributor to lethal smog that on Tuesday kept the metropolis of 20 million people choking in air rated "very poor."

The Supreme Court said the capital's residents were "losing precious years" of their lives, adding "people are dying, this just cannot happen in a civilized country."

In a ruling following petitions filed by activists, the court's judges ordered an immediate halt to the practice of farmers burning crop stubble in the states surrounding the capital. They warned that the entire administrative and police hierarchy - all the way down to local officers - would be held responsible if the practice continued.

Burning stubble is already illegal, but many hard-up farmers say they have no choice.

Each winter, smog hits northern India as cooler air traps the stubble smoke, car fumes, factory emissions and construction dust close to the ground, creating a noxious cocktail that burns eyes and makes breathing difficult.

On Sunday pollution shot up, with levels of particulates measuring less than 2.5 microns - so tiny that they can enter the bloodstream - approaching 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter of air, the worst in three years. The World Health Organization's recommended safe daily maximum is just 25.

Flights were diverted and hospitals reported a surge in patients with respiratory complaints.

Concentrations of the tiny particles - which can be lethal with long-term exposure - fell Tuesday, with the government monitoring agency SAFAR rating the air "very poor," down from "severe" a day earlier.  

According to the AirVisual website, Delhi remained the most polluted city in the world on Tuesday ahead of Kolkata in eastern India and Lahore in Pakistan.

Construction was banned temporarily in Delhi late last week, while schools have been closed until Wednesday - with city authorities handing out free anti-pollution masks to children.