New Delhi is the most polluted city on Earth right now

By James Griffiths, CNN

Updated 0541 GMT (1341 HKT) November 8, 2016

A Delhi policeman stands guard at the war memorial India Gate engulfed in a thick smog in New Delhi, India, on November 6, 2016.
Photos: New Delhi chokes on smog
A Delhi policeman stands guard at the war memorial India Gate engulfed in a thick smog in New Delhi, India, on November 6, 2016.
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Protesters wearing protective masks take part in a rally urging immediate action to curb air pollution in New Delhi on November 6, 2016.
Photos: New Delhi chokes on smog
Protesters wearing protective masks take part in a rally urging immediate action to curb air pollution in New Delhi on November 6, 2016.
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Schools in the Indian capital have been closed for the three days as the city struggles with one of the worst spells of air pollution in recent years.
Photos: New Delhi chokes on smog
Schools in the Indian capital have been closed for the three days as the city struggles with one of the worst spells of air pollution in recent years.
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Young Indian runners take part in the New Delhi 10K Challenge amid heavy smog on November 6.
Photos: New Delhi chokes on smog
Young Indian runners take part in the New Delhi 10K Challenge amid heavy smog on November 6.
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Indian women walk as smog envelops the Jama Masjid Mosque in the old quarters of New Delhi on November 3.
Photos: New Delhi chokes on smog
Indian women walk as smog envelops the Jama Masjid Mosque in the old quarters of New Delhi on November 3.
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Indian commuters walk through the smog in the old quarters of New Delhi.
Photos: New Delhi chokes on smog
Indian commuters walk through the smog in the old quarters of New Delhi.
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An Indian cyclist rides along a street as smog envelops a monument in New Delhi on October 31, the day after the Diwali festival.
Photos: New Delhi chokes on smog
An Indian cyclist rides along a street as smog envelops a monument in New Delhi on October 31, the day after the Diwali festival.
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Story highlights

  • Some parts of Delhi record air quality index of 999
  • City has instituted emergency measures to tackle smog

(CNN)Fresh air doesn't exist in New Delhi at the moment.

India's capital is choking under off-the-charts smog, with some parts of the city reporting levels almost five times those considered "unhealthy" by the US environmental protection agency.
    Measurements taken at the US Embassy in Delhi put the city's Air Quality Index at 999 on Monday, off the standard chart, which finishes at the "hazardous" level of 500.
      By comparison, the highest AQI level recorded Monday in Baoding -- China's most polluted city -- was 298.
      Beijing was a pleasant 30, while India's next most polluted city, coal and industry-heavy Chandrapur, recorded levels of 824, according to the World Air Quality Index.
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      Research released earlier this year found that air quality levels exceed World Health Organizations guidelines for 80% of those living in urban areas around the world.