Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, announced on Friday that primary schools in the city will be closed beginning tomorrow until the pollution situation improves. “We’re doing everything we can to keep pollution under control. In lieu of that, we are closing all primary schools in Delhi beginning tomorrow… All classes above class 5 will also be barred from participating in outdoor activities “CM Kejriwal stated
Kejriwal was speaking at a press conference with his Punjab counterpart, Bhagwant Mann, here. “We’re also considering whether to implement the odd-even scheme for vehicles,” Kejriwal said.
The chief minister of Delhi also stated that “this is not the time for blame games and finger pointing.” On Friday, the national capital’s air quality remained in the “severe” category for the second day in a row.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court agreed today to hear a petition concerning Delhi’s air pollution. Today, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai convened a high-level meeting to discuss the final stage of the Graded Response Action Plan’s implementation of curbs on polluting activities.
The National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) asked the Delhi government on Wednesday to close schools until the capital’s air quality improved. The SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research) revealed on Friday that stubble-burning was responsible for 34% of Delhi’s PM 2.5 pollution.
On Friday morning, Delhi’s air quality remained in the’severe’ category, with the city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) rising to 472. According to data released by SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research) India, Noida recorded an AQI of 562 and remained in the’severe’ category, while Gurugram’s AQI stood at 539 and remained in the’severe’ category. Air Quality Indexes ranging from 0 to 100 are considered good, while those ranging from 100 to 200 are considered moderate, those ranging from 200 to 300 are considered poor, those ranging from 300 to 400 are considered very poor, and those ranging from 400 to 500 are considered severe.
