With the lifting of restrictions of the fourth phase of GAP in Delhi, government-aided schools and private schools have reopened in the national capital from today i.e. Monday. According to an order issued by the Directorate of Education (DEO), outdoor sports activities and morning assemblies will not be conducted in schools for the next one week. Let us tell you, amid increasing pollution and health concerns in the city, schools were closed in Delhi on November 8 and winter vacation was announced.
With the air quality index (AQI) in Delhi improving and showing no signs of decline in levels in the near future, the DoE on Saturday issued orders for resumption of classes for all students from pre-school to class 12. . The air quality in Delhi started deteriorating from October 28 and for two weeks the air quality remained in the ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ category. During this period, there was a suffocating smog in the city.
Due to favorable meteorological conditions, the air quality improved rapidly just before Diwali, resulting in clear and sunny skies on 11 and 12 November. However, after a short-term relief, pollution increased rapidly after the ban on fireworks on Diwali was violated on 12 November. In view of the decline in air pollution levels due to favorable wind speed and direction, the Center on Saturday lifted stringent restrictions including ban on construction work and entry of polluting trucks in Delhi.
The air quality in Delhi and its suburbs deteriorated again on Monday after a slight improvement a day earlier and forecasts suggest no major relief is likely in the coming days. The AQI of the city was 338 at 8 am on Monday. The average AQI of the last 24 hours was 301 at 4 pm on Sunday, 319 on Saturday, 405 on Friday and 419 on Thursday.