NEW DELHI, Nov 3, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Schools were shut across India's capital on Friday as a noxious grey smog engulfed the megacity and made life a misery for its 30 million inhabitants.

Smoke from farmers burning crop stubble, vehicle exhaust and factory emissions combine every winter to blanket the capital in a deadly haze.

On Friday, levels of the most dangerous PM2.5 particles -- so tiny they can enter the bloodstream -- were almost 35 times the daily maximum recommended by the World Health Organization, according to monitoring firm IQAir.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced late Thursday that all primary schools would be closed across the capital for at least two days.