NEW DELHI, Nov 5: All primary schools in the national capital will remain shut till November 10 in view of rising pollution levels in the city, Delhi Education Minister Atishi announced on Sunday.
For classes 6 to 12, schools have the option of teaching online.
“As pollution levels continue to remain high, primary schools in Delhi will stay closed till November 10. For Grade 6-12, schools are being given the option of shifting to online classes,” Atishi said on X.
A toxic haze lingered over Delhi for the sixth consecutive day on Sunday as pollution levels once again reached the severe plus category due to unfavourable wind conditions, particularly calm winds during the night.
Under the Centre’s air pollution control plan, all emergency measures, including a ban on polluting trucks, commercial four-wheelers, and all types of construction, are mandated to be initiated and enforced in the National Capital Region if the AQI crosses the 450-mark.
The concentration of PM2.5, fine particulate matter capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory system and triggering health problems, exceeded the government-prescribed safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre by seven to eight times at multiple locations throughout Delhi-NCR.
It was 80 to 100 times the healthy limit of 5 micrograms per cubic meter set by the WHO.
Air quality in Delhi-NCR declined over the past week due to a gradual drop in temperatures, calm winds that trap pollution, and a surge in post-harvest paddy straw burning across Punjab and Haryana.
As severely-polluted air has choked Delhi, doctors in the city have warned people, saying air pollution affects not just the lungs, but also other major organs, such as the heart and the brain, across all age groups.
There has been a sudden increase in cases of headache, anxiety, irritation, confusion and decrement of cognitive abilities, especially among the vulnerable populations such as the elderly, schoolgoing children and pregnant women, Dr Neeraj Gupta, head of the pulmonary medicine department at the Safdarjung Hospital said. (PTI)
