As air quality deteriorates, Delhi govt directs schools to refrain from organising outdoor activities

Amidst deteriorating weather condition in the national capital, Delhi Government on Wednesday issued circular advising schools to ensure that no outdoor activities are organised.

"The present air quality condition in Delhi is a cause of concern for all. To ensure that students studying in schools of Delhi are not adversely affected due to the current air quality, all the heads of government, government-aided and unaided recognised schools under Directorate of Education are hereby directed to sensitise the parents of the students about the worrisome air quality situation prevailing in and across Delhi and further appeal them to restrain their children from undertaking outdoor activities till severe pollution condition persists," read a circular from the Directorate of Education - School Branch.

"Outdoor activities and exposure in the polluted atmosphere could have 'long term detrimental effects on the health of children'. Therefore, parents may be requested to adopt a preventive approach to safeguard their child's health including using the masks," it added.

The Directorate of Education has also advised all the heads of government, government-aided and unaided recognised schools under Directorate of Education to ensure that no outdoor activities are organised in schools till severe pollution condition persists.

Delhi and its adjoining areas such as Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Faridabad are again back to its annual encounter with the extreme air pollution post-Diwali.

At around 10 in the morning, the Air Quality Index (AQI) was docking at 423, which falls in the hazardous category, said System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).

The pollution level in the national capital is expected to rise in coming days.

On Wednesday evening, pollution went from severe to critical as air quality index showed 606 micrograms per cubic meter.According to Dr Arvind, a senior chest surgeon who has been dealing with pollution affected patients, Delhi's air is unfortunately not fit for breathing.

Living in this air is harmful in every respect and for any age group. Pregnant women, children and asthma patients are more vulnerable.

"In such a situation, apart from a normal situation that is itching in nose and eyes and soar throat problems, asthmatic patients suffer a lot. This year polluted air can lead to brain stroke and heart attack. Furthermore, pregnant women are more prone to be affected. The child in the womb gets ill. Also, this leads to a chronological effect on children's brain. Their brain development is capped that is it doesn't grow as it should," Arvind said.

Talking about the remedies and precautions, he said, "There is no way one can escape or save itself from this polluted air. When the air quality index goes beyond 600 only precautions or remedy is to stop breathing."

Tourist coming to Delhi are forced to buy masks in order to prevent themselves. One such tourist said that it's been one week when he came to Delhi. He didn't expect that air quality will be that worse.

"After coming to Delhi and breathing here I started feeling uneasiness and then my group went to buy a mask, now we explore daily in a mask," the tourist said.

A Bangladeshi tourist, Bablu said, "This is a beautiful country. We can see ample of trees here. Despite that, the pollution is very high. This should not be the case."