The Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and the adjoining areas on Monday directed schools and other educational institutions in Delhi and the surrounding region to adopt a hybrid mode – or both physical and online classes – for students up to Class 12.
The direction came hours after the Supreme Court asked the air quality panel to decide on the reopening of educational institutions as “some students may be deprived of mid-day meal scheme, or may not have facility of attending online classes or air purifiers at home”, the Hindustan Times reported.
The Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments suspended physical classes for all students, including Classes 10 and 12, in the National Capital Region on November 18 as air quality levels plummeted to the “severe plus” category.
On Tuesday, the daily average air quality index, or AQI, in Delhi stood at 395 at 8 am, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board.
An index value between 0 and 50 indicates “good” air quality, between 51 and 100 indicates “satisfactory” air quality and between 101 and 200 indicates “moderate” air quality.
As the index value increases further, air quality deteriorates. A value of 201 and 300 means “poor” air quality while between 301 and 400 indicates “very poor” air.
Between 401 and 450 indicates “severe” air pollution while anything above the 450 threshold is termed “severe plus”. At these levels, healthy people can experience respiratory illnesses from prolonged exposure to air pollution.
In its order on Monday, the air quality panel said that it had taken into account the lack of resources faced by schools in Delhi and the National Capital Region to conduct online classes and the difficulties faced by students appearing for Board examinations this year.
It noted that the direction for hybrid mode applied to Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar districts. “The option to exercise an online mode of education, wherever available, shall vest with the students and their guardians,” the order added.
Meanwhile, rhe Supreme Court on Monday said that emergency measures under stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan, GRAP, to deal with air pollution would continue in Delhi for the time being, The Indian Express reported.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih has been dealing with a matter related to air pollution caused by stubble burning, firecrackers, vehicular emissions, garbage burning and industrial pollution.
The GRAP is a set of incremental anti-pollution measures that are triggered to prevent the further worsening of air quality once it reaches a certain threshold in the National Capital Region.
On November 17, in view of worsening pollution, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and the adjoining areas ordered the implementation of stage 4 of GRAP across the National Capital Region.
This included a ban on trucks entering the national capital and a temporary halt on construction activities for public projects.
On Monday, the bench reviewed a chart of AQI figures for Delhi. “It shows that AQI… from November 20-24 ranges between 318 and 419,” it said. “Unless the court is satisfied that there is a consistent downward trend of AQI, we cannot permit the commission to go down to [GRAP] stage 3 or 2.”
“We make it clear that we are leaving it to the commission to decide to what extent the norms, which are otherwise applicable in GRAP 3 and 4 as of today, can be either relaxed or exceptions can be carved out,” the bench said. “We expect a decision to be taken during the course of the day or latest by tomorrow morning so it can be implemented.”
It listed the matter for hearing on November 28.
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