All schools in the Delhi-NCR region, including Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Meerut, will remain closed on November 23 due to the deteriorating air quality in the national capital and its adjoining cities.
All schools in the Delhi-NCR region, including Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Meerut, will remain closed on November 23 due to the deteriorating air quality in the national capital and its adjoining cities, with officials saying that the weather conditions and pollution levels will determine whether schools will be reopened next week.
Apart from schools, varsities in the NCR region, such as Jawaharlal Nehru University and Delhi University have also suspended classes from November 19, and decided to hold online classes till November 23. DU will resume classes on November 25.
Schools shut in Delhi-NCR
A notification issued by the Gautam Buddh Nagar district administration said all schools up to Class 12 in Noida will remain shut in the district till class 12.
Similarly, all schools from Classes 1 to 12, will remain closed in Ghaziabad, according to an order issued by the District Magistrate, which directed schools to conduct online classes.
The Meerut district administration has passed similar orders, directing the closure of all schools from November 19 till further notice, and ordering institutions, including coaching centres, to hold online classes.
The Haryana Directorate of Education has also directed all District Deputy Commissioners to make decisions regarding school closures, following which directives were issued to schools in Faridabad and Gurugram to halt live classes until further notice.
In wake of dangerous air pollution levels, orders have also been issued to keep schools closed in Charkhi Dadri, Bhiwani, Rewari, and other Haryana cities till November 23.
Delhi AQI ‘improves’
Meanwhile, the air quality index (AQI) in Delhi remained in the ‘very poor’ category for the second consecutive day on Friday, offering slight relief to residents compared to the previous ‘severe plus’ AQI levels.
At 7 am on Friday, the CPCB recorded Delhi’s AQI at 371, which placed it in the ‘very poor’ category. According to the CPCB data, the AQI measured at Chandni Chowk till 7 am was 359, IGI Airport (T3) 357, ITO 344, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium 342, RK Puram 372, Okhla Phase 2 374, Patparganj 379, Sonia Vihar 400 and Aya Nagar 359. However, several places in Delhi are still in the ‘severe’ category for air pollution, with Anand Vihar recording an AQI of 410, Bawana 411, Mundka 402, and Wazirpur at 413. AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor and 401-500 is severe.
(With ANI inputs)