Delhi AQI ‘severe’: GRAP-4 reimposed. Are schools closed? What advisory said

The Delhi Directorate of Education (DoE) on Wednesday directed all schools to conduct hybrid classes for students up to Class 9 and that of Class 11 after curbs under stage four of the Graded Response Action Plan were invoked in the national capital amid a sharp dip in air quality.

Calm winds, low temperatures and foggy conditions allowed the accumulation of pollutants in the region, with the air quality index soaring from 275 on Tuesday to 396 at 6 pm on Wednesday.

The order applies to all government and private schools across all boards.

The order stated, “All Heads of Schools of Govt., Govt. Aided, Unaided Recognized Private Schools of DOE, NDMC, MCD and Delhi Cantonment Board are directed to conduct classes in schools for children up to Class IX & XI in a ‘Hybrid Mode’ i.e., both in physical and online mode.”

AQI, as per GRAP regulations, is categorised into four stages – Stage 1 (Poor, AQI 201-300), Stage 2 (Very Poor, AQI 301-400), Stage 3 (Severe, AQI 401-450), and Stage 4 (Severe Plus, AQI above 450).

Under stage 4 restrictions, all construction activities are banned as well as the entry of non-essential polluting trucks into Delhi.

Earlier in November, schools in Delhi-NCR had been shifted entirely online due to high levels of air pollution. However, an order by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) made it compulsory for schools to keep an option for ‘hybrid mode’ since fully online classes were not a feasible solution.

Delhi weather

Delhi’s air quality index worsened on Thursday, with several regions having an AQI above 400 putting it in the ‘severe’ category. The national capital is also facing dense fog as well as light rain throughout the week.

The IMD has predicted a yellow alert across all regions of Delhi, with overcast skies, light rain, smog, and shallow fog in the morning hours, forecasted until Sunday.