Delhi pollution: Govt urges parents to restrain students from outdoor activities
On Tuesday, the Air Quality Index (AQI) was 323, which placed the city’s air in the “very poor” category.
The Delhi government has asked all schools in the national capital to appeal to parents to restrain their children from undertaking outdoor activities till severe pollution level persists in the region.
“…hereby directed to appeal to the parents of the students of the respective schools, about the worrisome air pollution situation prevailing in and across Delhi and further to restrain their children from undertaking outdoor activities till severe pollution condition persists,” a circular issued by the Directorate of Education (DoE) on Tuesday said.
On Tuesday, the Air Quality Index (AQI) was 323, which placed the city’s air in the “very poor” category. It had entered the “severe” zone on November 7 and hit its peak of 486 on November 9. The last time Delhi witnessed such a prolonged spell of severe air quality was in November 2016 when the city faced its worst smog in 17 years.
Tuesday’s circular said outdoor activities and exposure in polluted conditions could have long-term detrimental effects on the health of children. “Therefore, parents may be requested to adopt preventive approach to safeguard their child’s health,” the circular said.
The advisory was issued after the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) asked the DoE on November 8 to appeal to parents to restrain children from indulging in outdoor activities as long as severe pollution condition persists.
When the air pollution peaked in “severe” category in the second week of November, several emergency measures, including closure of schools, ban on entry of trucks and construction works in Delhi, and a four-fold hike in parking fees, were put into action.
All schools in the national capital were shut for four days. On November 7, when city’s air quality had touched 448 (“severe” on the AQI), the government ordered primary sections of all schools to be shut from November 8, and a day later all sections were shut.
Before that many private schools had already suspended outdoor and sports activities in view of the rising pollution levels.