The Delhi government has directed schools to shift from hybrid mode to fully online classes for students upto class 5 on Monday as the air quality deteriorated to dangerous levels in the national capital. According to experts, the air quality is predicted to remain in 'very poor' category this week.
In a circular, the Directorate of Education said, "Physical classes for students of nursery to Class-5 in all government, government-aided and unaided recognised private schools in Delhi have been discontinued until further orders." The decision has been taken due to the "prevailing high Air Quality Index (AQI)" in the city, it said.
However, classes for the remaining grades will continue in hybrid mode, as per education department's order on December 13. On Monday, Delhi's AQI stood in the 'severe' category with a reading of 427. On Sunday, the AQI hit its second-highest reading this winter season on Sunday, at 461.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality was 'severe' at 27 monitoring stations across the city on Monday, with 12 stations in the very poor' range. Wazirpur recorded the worst air quality at 475.
On Monday, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav reviewed the action plan to curb air pollution in Ghaziabad and Noida. He chaired a high-level review of the action plans and ordered strict action against industrial units that fail to install online emission monitoring systems by the December 31 deadline.
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The minister also reviewed measures to control road dust, use of anti-smog guns and water sprinklers, and greening of pathways and open spaces. Yadav directed that the deadline must be strictly enforced and said stringent action must be taken against non-compliant units. The CAQM was also asked to devise a standard operating procedure for greening and better use of urban open spaces.
According to experts, the AQI touched 498 in the morning and settled at 427 by the evening. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), 27 monitoring stations across the city recorded "severe" air quality, while 12 stations reported "very poor" levels. Wazirpur recorded the worst air quality among the 40 stations, with an AQI of 475.
According to the Air Quality Early Warning System, forecasts air quality for the next six days pointed to "very poor" conditions. The weather department has forecast dense fog for Tuesday morning, with the maximum and minimum temperatures expected to settle at 23 degrees Celsius and 10 degrees Celsius, respectively.
