New Delhi schools closed as air pollution worsens

The air quality in New Delhi was rated as "severe" for the third day in a row. A thick gray haze covers the city, making travel and outdoor activities both dangerous and difficult.Schools in New Delhi shut on Thursday after the air quality was rated as "severe" for the third consecutive day.

"Keeping in mind the hazardous exposure to children ... all schools must remain shut for the next two days," Bhure Lal, the chairman of the Environmental Pollution Prevention and Control Agency, said in a letter to the city government of Delhi and to its neighboring states.

The Central Pollution Control Board said that the air quality index was 472, nine times the level recommended by the World Health Organization. The maximum possible rating is 500.

Running through the smog

Air pollution in northern India peaks in the winter due to smoke from agricultural fires. The smoke from fields mixes with vehicle emissions and construction dust, making it the world's most polluted capital.

The smog was not enough to put off the more than 1,000 children participating in a race on Thursday morning. The annual "Run for Children" event is organized by a not for profit group called Prayas. Asian news network ANI reported on the run. 

"The children did not run a long distance. It was a short run," said Prayas' general secretary, Amod K. Kanth.Kanth has received criticism for overseeing the run in such conditions.ed/aw (AP, Reuters)