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This suspension will remain in effect until November 10.
Delhi extends school closures due to severe pollution concerns
On Monday morning, pollution levels in Delhi-NCR were found to be approximately seven to eight times higher than the safe limit set by the government.
This hazardous haze continued to envelop the region for the seventh consecutive day.
Yesterday, Delhi education minister Atishi declared the closure of primary classes in all schools until November 10.
She also mentioned that schools have the choice to conduct online classes for students in grades 6 to 12.
Nonetheless, it was observed that all government and private schools chose to continue conducting in-person classes for students in grades 6 to 12.
The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI), measured at 4 pm daily, deteriorated from 415 on Saturday to 454 on Sunday.
This escalation led the central authorities to enact all emergency measures as stipulated in the ultimate Stage IV of their air pollution control strategy, known as the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
In a 2018 study conducted by The Energy and Resources Institute, it was determined that vehicular emissions account for approximately 40 percent of the PM 2.5 pollution in the national capital.
AAP-BJP slugfest continues
Amid the severe air pollution crisis on Monday, a blame game persisted between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Both parties attributed the health hazards in the national capital to stubble burning in states governed by the other.
During a press conference on Monday, the AAP’s chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar asserted that the burning of paddy stubble (parali) in Haryana was the cause of air pollution in Delhi.
She further accused the BJP-led government in Haryana of failing to take adequate measures to prevent these agricultural fires.
In response, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva retaliated by stating that there were more than 3,000 instances of stubble burning in the AAP-ruled state of Punjab on Sunday.
He also criticized Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of engaging in “political tourism” in states with upcoming elections instead of addressing the pollution issue.
Sachdeva further criticized Kejriwal by saying, “Kejriwal has turned Delhi into the city of smoke.
There were 3,230 incidents of parali burning in Punjab on Sunday alone, but Kejriwal has remained silent about it because his party governs the state.”
Sachdeva emphasized that people in Delhi were suffering from air pollution, yet Kejriwal’s main focus seemed to be “political tourism.”
He stressed the necessity for immediate actions to address the crisis.
Sachdeva went on to claim that damaged roads, dust, and farm fires in Punjab were the primary factors contributing to the elevated levels of air pollution in the city.
Kakkar, on the other hand, contended that stubble burning in Haryana’s Sonipat, Panipat, and Rohtak regions was generating smoke that was drifting into Delhi.
She accused the Khattar government of not taking effective measures to address this issue.
She pointed out, “In Haryana, stubble burning is occurring within 100 km of Delhi, while in Punjab, it’s happening 500 km away from the national capital.”
She accused Haryana of not taking action despite receiving funds from the central government to curb paddy straw burning.
In contrast, she noted that Punjab, even without receiving such funds, managed to reduce stubble burning by 50-67 percent compared to the previous year.
Furthermore, she made allegations that the use of BS III and BS IV buses, industrial units, and the reliance on diesel generators in Haryana, exacerbated the pollution levels in Delhi.
She suggested that these factors were also contributing to the air quality issues in the city.
Delhi BJP secretary Harish Khurana asserted on Monday that farm fires in Punjab were the primary cause of the deteriorating air quality in Delhi over the past eight days.
Khurana provided statistics to support his claim, stating, “There were 17,000 incidents of stubble burning in Punjab in the last month, with 13,000 of them occurring in the last 8 days alone. On Sunday alone, there were 3,230 farm fires in Punjab, while in Haryana, there were only 150 incidents of stubble burning on the same day.”
With agency inputs
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