Delhi govt extends closure of primary schools amid air pollution crisis
As Delhi grapples with severe air pollution, the Delhi government has extended the closure of all primary schools until November 10.
New Delhi: As Delhi grapples with persistently severe air pollution, the Delhi government has extended the closure of all primary schools up to class 5 until November 10. Schools for Classes 6-12 are not mandated to close but have been provided with the option to conduct online classes.
Initially, the Delhi government had announced the closure of the schools up to class 5 until November 5. However, the continuous deterioration of air quality in the city has prompted this extension.
Delhi’s Education Minister, Atishi, stated, “As pollution levels continue to remain high, primary schools in Delhi will stay closed until 10th November. For Grade 6-12, schools are being given the option of shifting to online classes.”
On Sunday morning, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) remained severely polluted, with an AQI of 460. The city has been shrouded in a suffocating blanket of toxic smog for the sixth consecutive day, causing growing concerns among medical professionals regarding the increasing cases of respiratory and eye ailments, particularly among children and the elderly.
Microscopic PM2.5 particles, known to penetrate deep into the lungs and pose health risks, have surged to levels seven to eight times higher than the government’s safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic meter in various locations across Delhi-NCR over the past few days. These levels were 80 to 100 times higher than the World Health Organization’s safe limit of 5 micrograms per cubic meter.
Ms Kalinga