Pollution and a layer of gray air suffocated the Indian capital, where government data showed air quality was deteriorating to "severe" or "very bad" levels across almost Delhi.
Authorities have already advised residents to stay away from open spaces as much as possible from early next month until the end of the Hindu Diwali festival, at least on Nov. 7, when fireworks increase air pollution, exacerbated by the burning of crop residues in neighboring states.
According to the Central Anti-Pollution Council, 25 of the 31 monitoring stations in different locations in Delhi said on Saturday that air quality in these areas could "seriously affect" the health of patients, even those who do not have any respiratory problems.
The data from the remaining monitoring stations showed that air quality was "bad", a level the council says may cause difficulty breathing for most people.
Like last winter, many parents in Delhi planned to send their children out of town.
Some doctors in the capital said they had already begun to observe an increase in the number of patients with respiratory problems.
