“Face-to-face classes will be interrupted for all students except for levels 10 and 12” corresponding to two years of high school, Chief Minister Atishi, who only goes by one name, said in a statement Sunday evening.
Peaks in winter due to smoke and burning
New Delhi faces pollution peaks every winter caused by toxic fumes from factories and road traffic, to which are added at this time of year those from seasonal agricultural burning. Local authorities triggered level 4 of their alert plan on Sunday evening “in order to prevent further deterioration of air quality”.
The capital and its metropolitan area (30 million inhabitants) are constantly at the top of the ranking of the most polluted cities in the world in winter.
A study presented in August 2023: Air pollution poses a greater health risk than smoking or drinking alcohol
Primary schools completely closed this Monday
Primary schools had already had to organize their lessons remotely since Thursday. On Monday, in addition to the closure of the majority of classes, other measures were taken including restrictions on construction sites and the movement of diesel trucks. Officials hope homeschooling will help contain traffic, with the goal of preventing air quality from “deteriorating further.” They encourage teleworking.
The government has also called on children, the elderly and all those suffering from pulmonary and/or cardiac pathologies to “stay indoors as much as possible”. Many residents of the capital cannot afford an air purifier and live in housing that is poorly sealed from the stale air from outside, responsible for thousands of premature deaths each year.
Lower temperatures and weak winds in winter, which lasts from mid-October until at least January in India, intensify pollution by fixing dangerous particles in place. In October, India’s Supreme Court ruled that access to clean air was a fundamental right, ordering the federal and state governments to act.
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