Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: Schools likely to stay closed till..., check city-wise update

Schools in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Meerut were forced to close due to the worsening air quality, and classes are now being conducted virtually. All classes up to Class 12 will be closed until November 23 under the standards. Next week's weather and pollution levels will determine whether or not schools are reopened. With effect from November 19, classes at universities such as Jawaharlal Nehru University and Delhi University have also been suspended.

Delhi University announced a shift to online classes until November 23 due to hazardous air quality in Delhi-NCR. In a statement, the university said, "In the larger interest of students, classes shall be conducted in Online Mode till Saturday, 23rd November 2024."

Offline classes will resume on November 25, while the schedule for examinations and interviews remains unchanged. 

Authorities in Noida, Greater Noida, Faridabad have ordered closure of schools till November 23.

Apart from this, JNU, Delhi University also postponed physical classes given the poor AQI and has decided to hold online classes until November 23. The DU will now reopen on November 25. 

All schools in the district would continue to be closed, the Noida administration announced on Monday night. Preschool through Class 12 will be affected by this decision, according to the district administration's instruction. Until November 23, all local schools will be closed.

Following suit, Ghaziabad has ordered all schools from first to class 12 to close. According to directives from the District Magistrate, all schools shall continue to provide online courses until further notice.

Additionally, the Meerut District Magistrate has ordered all schools to halt in-person instruction on November 19 till further notice. From kindergarten through the 12th grade, all instruction will take place virtually. This directive would also be applicable to Meerut coaching centres.

In light of the rising pollution levels, the Haryana Directorate of Education has already directed all District Deputy Commissioners to make decisions regarding school closures. Following that, directives were sent to close schools in Faridabad and Gurugram. Online classes will continue until additional directives are issued, and all schools up to Class 12 are ordered to close immediately.

Due to air pollution, orders have also been issued to keep schools closed in Charkhi Dadri, Bhiwani, Rewari, and other Haryana cities. Schools are required to stay closed until November 23 in the majority of locations.

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 inputs from ANI)