New Delhi [India], November 21 : Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood on Friday said the state government has issued a notice to schools to suspend outdoor activities and sports events amid rising air pollution in the national capital.
Speaking to ANI, Sood said this decision was taken following concerns expressed by the Supreme Court. He added that the Delhi government has also postponed a sports Mahakumbh.
"After the concern expressed by the Supreme Court and the order that, for the next one to two months, as a precautionary measure, outdoor activities for small children should not be conducted. Following this, the Delhi government has issued a notice. We were going to organise a huge sports Mahakumbh in Delhi. Due to these guidelines, it has been postponed. Such activities will not be conducted in Delhi until new instructions are issued," the Delhi Education Minister said.
Earlier, the Supreme Court stated that matters concerning air pollution must be listed monthly.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the National Capital Region (NCR) and adjoining areas earlier urged state governments and the Delhi government to postpone physical sports competitions scheduled for November and December, citing prevailing air quality trends.
In compliance with observations of the Supreme Court, the CAQM convened a consultative meeting with representatives from the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, NCR State Governments, the Sports Authority of India, and officials from State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).
The meeting examined current air quality trends and deliberated measures to safeguard children's health during the winter months.
A statement from the CAQM said, "In view of the observations of the Supreme Court, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in National Capital Region (NCR) and adjoining areas convened a consultative meeting with representatives from the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education; NCR State Governments/ GNCTD, Sports Authority of India and representatives of NCR State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs)/ DPCC to examine the current air quality trends and deliberated upon measures to safeguard children's health especially during the winter months of November and December."
Following the discussions, CAQM has written to the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, requesting immediate action to postpone physical sports events in areas affected by poor air quality.
As Delhi continues to battle deteriorating air quality, several parts of the National Capital Region, including Noida, woke up to a blanket of toxic smog on Friday morning.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), several areas in Noida experienced severe air quality, with Noida Sector 116 recording an AQI of 427 and Noida Sector 125 registering an AQI of 438 at 9 am.
The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi remained at 370 as of 8 am, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
The city had recorded an AQI of 391 at 4 pm on November 20. Despite the slight improvement, the city's air quality continued to remain in the ' very poor' category.
According to CPCB data, IGI Airport T3 recorded an AQI of 307, while ITO recorded 378. The Air Quality Index at Punjabi Bagh stood at 379.
Other areas, such as Najafgarh (350), North Campus DU (385), Aya Nagar (340), and CRRI Mathura Road (370), also continued to experience very poor air quality.
However, air quality in some parts of the National Capital was in the 'severe' category. Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 418, while Ashok Vihar reported 411. Rohini and RK Puram registered an AQI of 424 and 401, respectively. According to AQI categorisation, 0-50 is 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', and 401-500 'severe'.Areas such as India Gate, Akshardham and Kartavya Path were engulfed in dense smog on Friday morning.