Vehicles move amid heavy smog in Delhi on Friday morning (November 15). Photo: PTI
As Delhi grapples with pollution, primary schools switch to online mode
Delhi now has the dubious distinction of being the world’s second-most polluted city, after Lahore in Pakistan
Delhi continues to grapple with the consequences of air pollution as the city was covered with a blanket of smog and the air quality remained in the “severe” category for the third consecutive day.
Delhi now has the dubious distinction of being the world’s second-most polluted city, after Lahore in Pakistan.
Also Read: Delhi: Restrictions under GRAP-3 announced amid worsening air quality
Flight and rail operations have been affected not only in Delhi but also in other parts of the country due to low visibility. More than 25 trains arriving at New Delhi railway station are delayed.
Primary schools move to online mode
All schools up to Class 5 in Delhi will switch to online learning till further directions in view of rising pollution levels in the city, Chief Minister Atishi said on Thursday (November 14).
With pollution reaching alarming levels, the central pollution watchdog CAQM imposed restrictions under GRAP Stage III in Delhi-NCR earlier on Thursday.
Also Read: 300 flights delayed as dense smog engulfs Delhi
"Due to rising pollution levels, all primary schools in Delhi will be shifting to online classes, until further directions," Atishi, who also holds the education portfolio, said in a post on X.
The Directorate of Education (DoE) has asked the heads of all government, private, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) schools to discontinue offline classes for children up to Class 5.
The DoE has also instructed the heads of schools to ensure classes in online mode for students of these classes till further orders.
GRAP-3 measures in force
The authorities have imposed stringent anti-pollution measures which will come into force on Friday (November 15).
Measures under the third stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) announced by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) include shifting schools up to Class 5 to online mode, a ban on non-essential construction and demolition work, restricted use of diesel generator sets only for emergency purposes, a ban on the operation of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers, intensified mechanised road sweeping and water sprinkling to suppress dust, and several others.
GRAP for the National Capital Region (NCR) is classified under four different stages of adverse air quality in Delhi: Stage I - 'poor' (AQI 201-300); Stage II - 'very poor' (AQI 301-400); Stage III - 'severe' (AQI 401-450); and Stage IV - 'severe plus' (AQI >450).
(With agency inputs)
