Air Pollution: Delhi Goes Online For All Schools Except Classes 10, 12

As air pollution in the national capital has become uncontrollable, as part of GRAP Stage 4 anti-pollution measures, the Delhi government on Sunday evening announced online classes for all student except classes 10 and 12.

“With the imposition of GRAP-4 from tmrw, physical classes shall be discontinued for all students, apart from Class 10 and 12. All schools will hold online classes, until further orders,” Delhi Chief Minister Atishi announced.

Delhi directorate of education had earlier announced online classes for classes till five.

Delhi’s air pollution has worsened, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 457, categorised as “severe plus.” This has prompted the implementation of GRAP Stage 4 anti-pollution measures across Delhi-NCR, effective Monday. These include bans on diesel-run medium and heavy goods vehicles (BS-IV or below), non-essential trucks, and light commercial vehicles from outside Delhi unless they use cleaner fuels like CNG or BS-VI diesel.

The CAQM panel has also recommended shifting classes 6 to 9 and class 11 to online mode and advised NCR offices to operate at 50% capacity, with the rest working remotely. Data from the CPCB shows 32 of 40 monitoring stations reported “severe” air quality levels, posing serious health risks.

Vehicles contributed 15.8% of Delhi’s air pollution on Sunday, while stubble burning accounted for 25% the previous day. PM2.5, a dangerous pollutant, remains a key health hazard. Further measures may include closing colleges, non-essential businesses, and implementing an odd-even vehicle policy.

With pollution levels threatening public health, authorities aim to curb emissions through these stringent restrictions, urging collective action to address the escalating crisis.