All government-aided and private schools in Delhi reopened on Monday after an early winter break with restrictions under Stage IV of GRAP revoked following some improvement in the city's air quality.
Outdoor sports activities and morning assemblies will not be held in schools for the next one week, according to an order issued by the Directorate of Education (DoE).
Schools in Delhi were shut down and a winter break was announced on November 8 amid rising pollution in the city and growing health concerns.
The DoE issued the order for resumption of classes for all students from pre-school to class 12 on Saturday in view of Delhi's improved Air Quality Index and there being no indication of a sharp degradation in the AQI in the near future.
Delhi experienced 'very poor' to 'severe' air quality for two weeks starting October 28 with a suffocating haze lingering over the city during the period.
Delhiites witnessed clear skies and abundant sunshine on November 11 and 12 as the air quality improved sharply just ahead of Diwali due to favourable meteorological conditions.
However, the respite was short-lived as people flouted the ban on firecrackers on Diwali on November 12, leading to a jump in pollution levels.
The Centre on Saturday removed stringent curbs, including a ban on construction work related to linear projects and the entry of polluting trucks into Delhi in view of a dip in air pollution levels due to favourable wind speed and direction.
These measures constitute the final stage -- Stage IV -- of the Centre's air pollution control plan called the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
Air quality in Delhi and its suburbs deteriorated again on Monday after a marginal improvement a day ago with forecasts suggesting that a major relief is unlikely in the coming days.
The city's AQI stood at 338 at 8 am on Monday, deteriorating from 301 at 4 pm and 290 at 7 am on Sunday.
The 24-hour average AQI, recorded at 4 pm every day, was 319 on Saturday, 405 on Friday and 419 on Thursday.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi is gearing up to build one of India's most advanced e-waste processing facilities, and it's taking cues from Norway's cutting-edge model.
The national capital on Sunday recorded a maximum temperature of 33.6 degrees Celsius, 7.8 notches below the seasonal average, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Air Quality Management Commission admitted it has not conducted any research or study on pollution caused by diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years, which form the basis of the overage vehicle ban in Delhi-NCR.
Monsoon Diseases Prevention: Monsoon brings welcome relief but also triggers respiratory health issues like cold, flu, asthma and pneumonia, due to high humidity, mould, dust, air pollution and viral outbreaks.
The Supreme Court has upheld the powers of the pollution control boards to impose restitutionary and compensatory damages for environmental harm, saying that prevention and remediation must be at the heart of environmental governance.
................................ Advertisement ................................
Opinion | Why Indians Have Just Given Up On Air Pollution CrisisTanushree Ganguly
Friday December 20, 2024While some may argue that people in Delhi are now more aware of air pollution than they were a decade back, my rebuttal would be that awareness does not mean that people are concerned.
Opinion | You Must Outrage Over Filthy Air More Than Once A YearJyoti Pande Lavakare
Tuesday December 10, 2024Delhi welcomed us with monsoon rains and mangos. We were home. Fast forward a couple of years, in the winter of 2012, I found myself in denial about something other parents, mostly expats, were calling toxic air.
Opinion | Delhi's Air Pollution Situation Is Like A Bad MarriageNishtha Gautam
Friday November 22, 2024On a good day, such as today, the AQI reading in Delhi is 407. We are jubilant at the sickly sunshine trickling through the slightly dissipated smog. At least its not 1600.
दिवाली... पराली... सियासी जुगाली!Ashwini kumar
Monday November 18, 2024दिल्ली-एनसीआर में प्रदूषण का समाधान तो आज तक मिला नहीं. हर साल चिंतित होकर हम-आप सांसों की तकलीफ के साथ-साथ दिल और ब्लड प्रेशर के मरीज भी क्यों बनें?
घर में कैद बुजुर्ग और हांफते लोग, दिल्ली की सांसों में घुला ये कैसा रोग?Nidhi Kulpati
Friday November 08, 2024हमारी हवा जहरीली हो रही है. गुरुवार की शाम को जब मैं इस मुद्दे पर लिखने बैठी तो AQI लगातार 400 पार जाकर दम घोंट रहा था. बहुत लोगों को यह मामला बोरिंग लगे, लेकिन जब आप अपने साथ काम करने वालों को खांसते-हांफते देखते-सुनते हैं, तो चिंता होने लगती है. सुबह उठते ही दरवाजे खिड़कियां खोलने के लिए डॉक्टर मना कर रहे हैं. बड़े बुजुर्गों के लिए तो मॉर्निंग वॉक बाहर की दुनिया से सीधे संपर्क का ज़रिया है, लेकिन डॉक्टर इसकी भी मनाही कर रहे हैं.