印度過節放鞭炮 空氣污染超北京

Air quality in New Delhi will deteriorate to "severe" levels this week when Indians set off firecrackers to celebrate the Hindu festival of lights, a government scientist said, leaving many at risk of respiratory problems.

印度人民爲慶祝排燈節紛紛燃放煙花爆竹，這種習俗讓新德里的空氣遭受污染，達到“嚴重級別”。一名政府科學家說，這會增加民衆患呼吸道疾病的危險。

The warning, based for the first time on India's newly launched national Air Quality Index, is significant as New Delhi dismissed a World Health Organization study in May which found the capital to have the world's worst air pollution.

今年五月在世界衛生組織的一項全球城市空氣質量的調查中，新德里空氣污染程度位居首位，但印度政府對此並不接受，並制定了印度新版全國空氣質量指數。

The study, which covered 1,600 cities, also said that India has 13 of the 20 cities with the worst air quality worldwide.

世衛組織的這項調查中包括了1600個城市，其中有13個印度城市“入圍”全球空氣質量最差城市前20名。

"Delhiites are going to breathe very poor-to-severe air at least for two days," said Gufran Beig, chief scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, referring to Thursday, when the nation celebrates Diwali, and a day after.

“新德里的居民還將繼續忍受這樣的空氣，至少還得兩天。”印度熱帶氣象研究所的首席科學家古夫蘭·貝格在上週排燈節慶祝期間說。

The city of over 16 million people will see its air pollution index jump to 450 from 220 currently. A reading above 401 could put the healthy at risk for respiratory problems and seriously affect those already ill, the new index explains.

新德里的1600多萬人口還得親身體驗空氣質量指數從220飆升至450的過程。根據印度新頒佈的空氣質量指數來看，超過401就已經會增加民衆患呼吸道疾病以及嚴重感染其他疾病的危險了。

Pollution levels in Indian cities have often been compared to Chinese counterparts such as Beijing, notorious for the smog that prompted some Anglophone residents to dub it "Greyjing".

印度的空氣質量污染情況常拿來與中國的北京等城市相比，北京因爲空氣質量長期受到霧霾的影響而被稱爲“灰京”。

"Over the next three days the air quality will be worse than Beijing because offirecrackers," Beig said, adding that Delhi normally has better air quality than the Chinese capital.

“接下來的三天因爲煙花爆竹的影響，空氣質量會比北京還差。”貝格說，平時新德里的空氣狀況要優於北京。