Ghaziabad, Noida schools to open at 9am due to foggy conditions

‘This will be applicable for all government and private schools, including those affiliated to CBSE and ICSE boards, till further orders,’ said Rajesh Kumar Srivas, district inspector of schools, Ghaziabad

Due to foggy conditions in morning hours till 10-11am, the Ghaziabad education department and Noida district inspector of schools (Dios) have ordered that all schools up to class 12 will open at 9am.

Children going to school amid dense fog at Dasna in Ghaziabad on Monday. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

“Due to foggy conditions, we have directed that all schools up to class 12 will open from 9am. This will be applicable for all government and private schools, including those affiliated to CBSE and ICSE boards, till further orders,” said Rajesh Kumar Srivas, district inspector of schools, Ghaziabad.

Gautam Budh Nagar Dios Dharmvir Singh said, “All schools in the district will open from 9am from December 22 onwards. The directions are till further orders and issued in the wake of foggy conditions. All the schools in the district (at least 1,900-2,000) must abide by the directions,” Singh said.

Ghaziabad district has 473 basic education schools and 417 other schools with higher classes up to class 12.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had earlier this week forecast that dense to very dense fog is likely to prevail in the region for at least five days. On Wednesday, the IMD said, “Due to moisture and light winds at lower tropospheric levels over the Indo-Gangetic plains, dense to very dense fog in many pockets is very likely over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh in night and morning hours over the next 24 hours.”

The prevailing conditions have also impacted the air quality index (AQI) in Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Noida.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the AQI for Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Noida on Wednesday was respectively 262 (poor), 324 and 312 (very poor).

“The AQI has deteriorated largely due to meteorological factors such as low wind speed and drop in temperature. This has also resulted in low dispersal of pollutants in the region,” said Praveen Kumar, regional officer of Uttar Pradesh pollution control board, Noida.

According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (Safar) on Wednesday, surface wind speed of 8-12kmph and temperatures (21-22 degrees Celsius maximum and minimum of 7-6 degrees Celsius) will prevail for the next three days and are likely to increase AQI.

“Air quality is likely to deteriorate but stay ‘very poor’ for the next three days due to likely foggy conditions as well as cold wave and winds in the north-west region,” the forecast stated.