Air quality in Delhi 'severe', Primary Schools closed until November 10

Digital Desk: The Delhi administration has previously decided that all government and private primary schools remain closed until November 2. On Thursday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal went to X to announce the temporary closure of schools owing to poor air quality levels.

In a significant development, due to the ' severe' air quality, the Delhi administration has ordered all elementary schools in the national capital to remain closed until November 10. On Sunday, Delhi Education Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi made the news on X (previously Twitter).

"For Grade 6-12, schools are being given the option of shifting to online classes," Atishi said in a tweet.

The MCD issued an official order instructing instructors in grades Nursery through V to conduct sessions online as schools were directed to "discontinue" offline forms on November 3 and 4.

Because of the hazardous air in the national capital, the Centre has already launched Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which includes many pollution-control measures. Non-essential building activities, mining, and stone crushing are prohibited, as are the use of BS III petrol and BS IV diesel four-wheelers in Delhi, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, Gurugram, and Faridabad.

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has implemented several measures to combat the city's rising air pollution, including the use of Mechanical Road Sweepers (MRS) in two shifts with GPS tracking for wet sweeping, the use of an anti-smog gun or mist sprayer, and the deployment of 18,000 water tankers or trolleys to sprinkle water on trees and shrubs along the national capital's main roads.