By mid-afternoon, the deadly level of carcinogenic pollutants in New Delhis air was roughly 10 times

the reading in Beijing, a city more globally infamous for its air pollution. Experts are calling the
situation in New Delhi a major public health emergency.

"The situation as it exists today is the worst that I have seen in my 35 years staying in the city of
Delhi," said Arvind Kumar, a lung surgeon at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. "As a doctor, I have no problem
saying that the situation today is a public health emergency. If you want to protect people, we
should be ordering the evacuation of Delhi. Closing down all schools. Closing down all offices."

Shikha Gupta, 32, an IT professional in Delhi has kept her children and elderly parents inside and has
stopped taking her morning walks. "I just stepped out of my office a couple of minutes ago and my
eyes are burning already," she said.

The levels of the deadliest, tiny particulate matter -- known as PM 2.5, which lodge deep in a
persons lungs -- soared overnight on Nov. 8 to 726, according to a U.S. embassy monitor.

World Health Organization guidelines suggest exposure to levels of about 10, while anything