Delhi air pollution: Primary schools shut for 2 days, construction ban in place as capital chokes; top 10 points

Delhi pollution: All government and private primary schools in Delhi will remain shut till Saturday in view of the rising air pollution levels, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Thursday.

"In light of the rising pollution levels, all govt and private primary schools in Delhi will remain closed for the next 2 days," Kejriwal wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).

According to an official order by MCD, these schools have been asked to hold classes in online mode on November 3 and 4.

Delhi's AQI plunged to 422 at 10 pm, the worst this season so far. The 24-hour average AQI was 364 on Wednesday, 359 on Tuesday, 347 on Monday, 325 on Sunday, 304 on Saturday, and 261 on Friday.

Delhi air pollution: Top points

1. The air quality of Delhi-NCR neared the emergency threshold on Thursday, prompting an immediate ban on non-essential construction work, as authorities acted swiftly to address the health-threatening pollution.

2. The concentration of PM2.5, fine particulate matter that can penetrate deep into the respiratory system and trigger health problems, exceeded the safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre by a seven to eightfold at multiple locations throughout the region.

3. Smoke from stubble burning accounted for 25 per cent of the PM2.5 pollution in Delhi on Thursday, a numerical model-based study by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune revealed. It may soar to 35 per cent today.

4. The Centre's pollution control panel, keeping in mind the spike in air pollution levels, ordered an immediate ban on non-essential construction work, stone crushing and mining in the region. Restrictions have also been imposed on plying of BS III petrol and BS IV diesel four-wheelers in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar.

5. The Centre's action came as part of Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) -- the Centre's air pollution control plan which is implemented in the region during the winter season. GRAP categorises actions into four stages: 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 above 450).

6. Meanwhile, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), a statutory body responsible for developing strategies to combat pollution in the region, said the pollution levels are only "expected to increase further" owing to highly unfavourable meteorological and climatic conditions.

7. Apart from Delhi, several cities in neighbouring Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh also reported hazardous air. These included Hanumangarh (438) and Sri Ganganagar (359) in Rajasthan; Hisar (414), Fatehabad (423), Jind (413), Rohtak (388), Sonepat (374), Kurukshetra (343), Karnal (343), Kaithal (379), Bhiwani (355), Faridabad (368) and Gurugram (297) in Haryana; and Ghaziabad (286), Noida (313) and Greater Noida (402) in Uttar Pradesh.

8. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.

9. Delhi Metro will run 20 extra train trips across its network starting November 3 in view of the measures taken by pollution control authorities on Thursday to encourage more and more people to use public transport in Delhi and neighbouring cities. Delhi Metro is already running 40 additional train trips on weekdays (Monday-Friday) from October 25 onwards when GRAP-II stage had come into force.

10. Scientists have warned of further deterioration of air quality in Delhi-NCR over the next two weeks. Delhi's air quality in October 2023 was the worst since 2020, with meteorologists attributing it to the absence of rainfall, according to government data. The capital recorded an AQI of 210 in October, compared to 210 in October last year and 173 in October 2021, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

(With PTI inputs)

Also Read: Delhi-NCR air pollution turns 'severe': Non-essential construction, diesel trucks banned, schools advised to go online