Air pollution in New Delhi hits hazardous levels

Indian presidential staff members, surrounded by smog, walk through the grounds of the presidential palace in New Delhi on November 7, 2017. Manish Swarup / AP

Air pollution in India's capital has hit hazardous levels, prompting local officials to ask that schools shut down and a half marathon scheduled later in November be called off.

On Tuesday, the readings of the government's air quality index hovered between 350 and 450, indicating that the health impact of breathing the air was "severe." The highest reading on the Central Pollution Control Board's index is 500.

As winter approaches, a thick, soupy smog routinely envelops most parts of northern India, caused by dust, the burning of crops, emissions from factories and the burning of coal and piles of garbage as the poor try to keep warm.

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