New Delhi, India, Orders School Closures for One Week Due to Air Pollution

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] As air pollution in India's capital New Delhi worsens, a one-week school closure order has been issued for schools in the city.

According to Indian media on the 14th (local time), Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi, held an emergency meeting the previous night and made this decision. Accordingly, elementary, middle, and high schools as well as universities in New Delhi will replace classes with online lessons for one week starting from the 15th.

The New Delhi authorities also decided to halt construction work for four days starting from the same day and instructed government officials to work from home. The authorities added, "If the air pollution emergency continues, related measures will be extended." Chief Minister Kejriwal also stated that a full lockdown measure to prevent air pollution is under discussion. The Indian Supreme Court also proposed such a lockdown measure the day before.

In New Delhi, the concentration of PM2.5 (ultrafine particles with a diameter of 2.5㎛ or less) exceeded 300㎍/㎥ the previous morning. This is 20 times the World Health Organization (WHO) daily safety recommendation of 15㎍/㎥ or less. On the morning of the 5th, the air quality index (AQI) in some parts of New Delhi (based on the US AQI standard) even soared to 1900 at one point.

The US AQI stages are divided into Good (0?50), Moderate (51?100), Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (101?150), Unhealthy (151?200), Very Unhealthy (201?300), and Hazardous (301?500). AQI calculation standards and methods vary slightly by country, and at that time, the Indian AQI standard index exceeded 2400. The Indian AQI index is also considered 'Severe' when it exceeds 401.

The 5th was the day after the local Diwali festival (4th), and around this festival day, residents came out in large numbers and set off an enormous amount of fireworks, worsening the pollution. However, on the morning of the 14th, the US AQI standard index in various parts of New Delhi recorded values in the 200s, showing some improvement compared to the past few days.

The air quality in New Delhi begins to deteriorate every year starting from October, after the harvest season ends. This is because farmers in several states near New Delhi recklessly burn leftover crop residues in their fields until the sowing season begins in mid-November, causing massive amounts of ash. In addition, power plants and old factories that are not properly equipped with pollution control devices emit smoke, and the smoke from burning tires and various waste materials for heating and cooking by the urban poor adds to the pollution. After Diwali, air pollution reaches its worst state and usually improves from February to March.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.