Schools to shut as Delhi chokes on pollution

A man and his children, wearing a masks, drive a scooter in New Delhi on November 4, 2016. -EPA

NEW DELHI: Some 1,800 primary schools in New Delhi were ordered to shut down Saturday as the Indian capital grapples with some of the worst pollution in recent years, an official said.

The decision would affect 900,000 children studying at schools run by the municipality in a city which has been enveloped by a thick smog since last weekend’s Diwali festival celebrations.