This Saturday, CM Kejriwal announced to close the schools in the Delhi regions till 17th November from Monday onwards. According to the System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting Research (SAFAR), the Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded 499 on Saturday morning.
CM orders to shift the physical classes to online mode for children and once again to adopt work from home for the employees and employers.
After Delhi’s step toward closing the school, the Haryana government also declared to close the schools in the four districts Gurugram, Faridabad, Jhajjar, and Sonipat till Wednesday from Monday onwards. According to officials of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), the deterioration in the quality of air is due to various meteorological conditions. The Air Quality Index of Noida and Gurugram was worse than that of Delhi it was recorded 587 in Noida and 557 in Gurugram on Saturday morning.
How to know if AQI is severe?
| 0-50 | Good |
| 51-100 | Moderate |
| 101-150 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups |
| 151-200 | Unhealthy |
| 201-300 | Very Unhealthy |
| 301-500 | Hazardous |
With reference to the above-mentioned table, we can clearly see that the states are on the verge of air pollution. The Supreme court suggests imposing lockdown for two days in Delhi and Delhi-NCR and implementing every measure to curb this situation as this matter has become severe now. The Supreme court further said the farmers cannot be blamed solely as the pollution constitutes only 25% of stubble burning and 75% of other pollutants like cracker burning, industrial pollution, vehicles, etc.
The Supreme court asked the government to come up with solutions for how the people will survive in this kind of situation?
This condition was expected before Diwali as it can be one of the major causes of air pollution due to the burning of crackers, people are wearing masks even in their homes. There are several other reasons the government has to consider and take necessary actions as soon as possible. As for now, the Delhi and Haryana government has advised people to work from home at least for one week, stop the construction projects, and stay at home. Haryana to limit the vehicles on road by 30%.
On Friday, a meeting on implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) was held in Delhi and also the concerned agencies are advised to take the necessary action as per the severity of the situation.