There has been no let up in the pollution in Delhi as the AQI for the second day runs its ‘severe plus’ category. SAFAR-India recorded the Air Quality Index (AQI) of the national capital on Tuesday at 492 which crossed Monday’s highest AQI of 483 for the season so far. Surprisingly, eight of the monitoring stations, Alipur, Anand Vihar, Bawana among them, recorded a maximum AQI of fifty. The measured average AQI of the ITO station was the lowest but was still at 391 which is still under the ‘Very Poor’ range.
The escalated air pollution is continuing to force schools and colleges to resort to online sessions. Delhi University said virtual classes would be held up to November 23 with physical classes to begin from November 25. Jawaharlal Nehru University also went online till November 22. The examination and interview schedules are not changed.
Neighbouring districts in Ghaziabad and Noida also put restrictions on physical classes up to class 12 and online classes till November 23. Likewise, Haryana’s government allowed local officials to cease face-to-face classes in both government and private schools because of dangerous air quality.
The affected Delhi-NCR states were ordered to implement stringent anti-pollution measures set out under GRAP 4 (Graded Response Action Plan). The Court required these restrictions to remain in force indefinitely, even in case with improvements in the air quality .
Because pollution levels are not expected to improve anytime soon, people are encouraged to reduce exposure to the outside environment and take adequate measures against the ill effects of pollution. Officials are still keen followers of the situation.
