Gurugram air pollution: Primary schools to remain shut from tomorrow
In view of the rising air pollution levels, authorities in Gurugram, Haryana, have ordered the closure of primary schools in the city from Tuesday. As per Gurugram Deputy Commissioner (DC) Nishant Kumar Yadav's orders, physical or offline classes will be suspended for students up to Class 5. The suspension will remain in effect until further orders are issued, the deputy commissioner's office stated.
No offline classes for nursery to Class 5
The offline classes will remain suspended for preschool, pre-primary school, and primary school students, i.e., from nursery to Class 5, per DC Yadav's orders. This will be applicable to both private and government schools in Gurugram. However, schools were urged to start conducting online classes for the affected students while ensuring easy access to online resources.
Watch Gurugram DC Yadav's announcement here
Immediate steps to safeguard health of citizens: DC's office
On X (formerly Twitter), the Gurugram DC's office stated, "Due to severe air quality concerns in the National Capital Region (NCR) and adjoining areas, we're taking immediate steps to safeguard the health of our citizens, especially children." Yadav tweeted that while Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage IV has been implemented in Delhi-NCR, the air quality in Gurugram has also "remained alarmingly high."
Check out the full official order here
Gurugram's AQI crossed 400 on Monday
The move came as Gurugram's air quality index (AQI) stood at 401 in the "severe" category on Monday, per air pollution tracker Breezometer. Delhi's air quality was 471 (severe plus) on Monday morning. An AQI between 0-50 is considered "good," 51-100 as "satisfactory," 101-200 as "moderate," 201-300 as "poor," 301-400 as "very poor," 401-450 as "severe," and anything above 450 is labeled "severe plus."
Delhi announces odd-even rule, closure of schools
Separately, on Monday, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s Delhi government implemented the odd-even vehicle rationing rule from November 13-20 to curb air pollution. Furthermore, schools have been shut for students of all classes, barring Classes 10 and 12. Notably, a combination of smoke from stubble burning in neighboring states, vehicle/factory emissions, and firecrackers increases pollution in Delhi and nearby areas significantly every winter.
