 "air pollution, AQI")
Amid severe air pollution and poor AQI levels, the Delhi government has announced early winter break for schools from November 9 to 18, 2023. The government directed heads of schools to convey this information to parents immediately.
The order was issued by the Directorate of Education on November 8, 2023, and the order instructed students and teachers to stay at home.
The air quality in the national capital has been in a severe category for the past few days, considering this, the government earlier announced holidays for schools from November 3 to November 10, 2023.
The Delhi government circular reads, "In the wake of implementation of GRAP-IV measures due to Severe Air Quality prevailing in Delhi and seeing that no respite from such adverse weather conditions in the near future is predicted by the IMO, the Winter Break for the session 2023-24 is ordered to be preponed so that schools can be totally closed and both children and teachers can stay at home."
The circular further stated, "Accordingly, all schools shall observe Winter Break wef. 09th November 2023 (tomorrow) to 18th November 2023 (Saturday)."
The air quality in Delhi continues to be in severe condition even on Wednesday. One of the major reasons for declining air quality is said to be stubble burning in the neighbouring states, which reportedly is responsible for one-third of the pollution in the national capital and its adjacent regions.
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Noida schools have stopped outdoor activities for students, like morning assemblies or sports activities due to concerns over teachers' and students' health. Some students even switched to online mode of classes.
Earlier, the Delhi education minister announced the closure of schools and recommend to move to online mode even for MCD schools.
Private and government schools in Noida and Faridabad also suspended and switched to online classes.
Air Pollution in Delhi today
There was no improvement in Air Pollution in Delhi on Thursday. In most places, the AQI level is still above 400, which is a serious concern among Delhiites.
The Delhi government also confirmed that they are planning to implement the odd-even rationing scheme, however, the Supreme Court will have to review its effectiveness before issuing any order. The government is also planning to attempt artificial rain through cloud seeding which will be attempted around November 20 to combat the pollution.
