New Delhi:
In view of rising air pollution in the national capital, the Delhi government has extended the closure of all schools up to class 5 till November 10. Schools through grades 6 through 12 do not have to close, but they do have the option to provide online classes if they wish.
Initially, the Delhi government had announced that schools up to class 5 would remain closed until November 5, but deteriorating air quality in the city warranted an extension.
“As pollution levels remain high, primary schools in Delhi will remain closed till November 10. For grades 6 to 12, schools will be given the option to switch to online classes,” Delhi Education Minister Atishi said in a statement.
As pollution levels remain high, primary schools in Delhi will remain closed till November 10.
For groups 6 to 12, schools will have the option to switch to online lessons.
— Atishi (@AtishiAAP) November 5, 2023
Delhi’s air remained severely polluted for the sixth day in a row on Sunday morning with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 460.
A suffocating blanket of toxic smog continued to shroud Delhi today, prompting doctors to express concerns over the growing number of respiratory and eye diseases among children and the elderly.
Microscopic PM2.5 particles, which can lodge deep in the lungs and cause health problems, have risen to seven to eight times the government’s safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic meter at several locations in Delhi-NCR in recent days. This was 80 to 100 times higher than the WHO safe limit of 5 micrograms per cubic meter.
As per the Centre’s plan to combat pollution in Delhi-NCR, it is mandatory to implement all urgent air pollution control measures, including ban on polluting trucks, commercial four-wheelers and all construction activities, if the AQI is higher than 450.
Air quality in Delhi-NCR has plummeted over the past week due to plunging temperatures, stagnant winds that halted the spread of pollution, and an increase in post-harvest stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana.
Delhi’s AQI shot up by over 200 points between October 27 and November 3 and fell into the ‘severe plus’ category (above 450) on Friday, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. There was a slight improvement from 468 at 4pm on Friday to 413 at 6am on Saturday, but the 24-hour average AQI of 468 on Friday was the worst since November 12, 2021.
Delhi’s air quality is one of the worst among the world’s capitals. A report from the University of Chicago shows that air pollution reduces life expectancy by almost twelve years.