Delhi Pollution: Primary Schools Will Remain Shut Till November 10
Delhi’s education minister Atishi Marlena on Sunday announced that all primary schools in India’s capital territory will remain closed until November 10, considering the higher pollution levels in the city. The government has also instructed the school authorities to shift the normal class procedures to online for grade 6 to 12, if need.
The air quality index (AQI) – a yardstick that measures the level of air pollution – of Delhi was reportedly gone the worse from 415 at 4pm on Saturday to 460 at 7 am on Sunday. Earlier on Friday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced that all government and private primary schools in Delhi would remain closed on November 3 and 4 as the pollution level touched the ‘severe’ category.
As pollution levels continue to remain high, primary schools in Delhi will stay closed till 10th November.
For Grade 6-12, schools are being given the option of shifting to online classes.
— Atishi (@AtishiAAP) November 5, 2023
On Sunday morning, Delhi”s air quality was again recorded “severe” as with a minimum temperature of 15.8 degree Celsius, one notch above the season”s normal, reported the news agency Press Trust of India (PTI). The relative humidity was 96 per cent, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The public is extremely anxious as the escalating pollution is causing severe health problems and shutting primary schools alone will not lessen the problem. “How closing school is going to help children? Due to severe pollution, our homes are equally polluted so even if they are at home, they are breathing the same poisonous air”, said a user on X in response to the education minister”s post.
According to the recent scientific reports, Delhi is one of the worst affected cities in air pollution, Mumbai stands just back. The quality of breathing is expected to witness a drop in the upcoming two weeks, especially in the Delhi-NCR region. Health experts already put alarms that the pollution levels may increase asthma issues and lung problems in both children and senior citizens. Medical professionals suggests to exercise caution including wearing masks, and not to go out in the open unnecessarily.
Understanding the severity of the situation, Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked the third stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) on Thursday. The Stage III of the plan is carried out when air quality hits severe, that is, the range of 401-405. It evoked an immediate ban on non-essential construction work in the city and closure of schools. In last week, as part of Stage II, frequency of all public transport vehicles were increased, and focus were given to cleaning and water sprinkling initiatives.
