School Closed – The air pollution in Haryana is becoming severe. The Air Quality Index has crossed 400 in many cities of the state. The condition of Delhi is terrible. Due to the pollution level and continuous fog and haze in different cities of Haryana, the government has decided to close schools up to class V.
This decision has been made with the health of young children in mind. At present, schools will remain closed till further orders. However, it will not affect children’s studies. Children will have online classes.
The Directorate of Education has given this instruction to the district’s Deputy Commissioners (DM) and DC. The order will come into effect from Monday, November 18. This means that schools in Haryana will remain closed starting Monday.
The Haryana government has issued a letter to all the state Deputy Commissioners and ordered them to close the schools. According to the Graded Response Action Plan Three (GRAP-3), schools up to class V will remain closed due to severe air quality index. The government has decided that the district’s deputy commissioners should assess the situation given the severe AQI level in Delhi and surrounding areas.
Dense fog has engulfed 12 districts of Haryana. Visibility is less than 50 meters in Sirsa, Fatehabad and Hisar areas of Rajasthan in western Haryana. At the same time, visibility is between 50 and 100 meters in Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Karnal, Rewari, Jhajjar, Gurugram, Faridabad, Rohtak, Sonipat, Panipat, Jind and Charkhi Dadri. The Meteorological Department has issued orange and yellow alerts for fog in Haryana till November 16.
Pollution can have a severe impact on children and other sensitive groups. The haze and smog have affected urban areas more, affecting people’s daily activities.