New Delhi, Nov 7: Heavy smog has been reported in the national capital early this morning. This is the seventh consecutive day today that the national capital is reeling under disastrous level of air pollution. The disastrous situation has brought normal life to a standstill in the national capital. In wake of the current situation, the Delhi Government has decided to close all schools for the next three days and shut down all constructions and demolitions for five days.
As per reports by IANS, the Centre will convene an emergency meeting of Environment Ministers of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to tackle the alarming level of pollution in Delhi today. Union Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave will chair the meeting to chalk out an action plan to control the rising pollution levels.
Due to the alarming pollution levels, Municipal schools in north and east Delhi will remain closed till Wednesday while those in south Delhi will remain shut for the entire week, NDTV reported. “Schools of East Delhi Municipal Corporation will also remain closed till November 9,” said an EDMC official. “All SDMC schools will remain closed till November 12 due to the high level of pollution and smog,” South Delhi Municipal Corporation Mayor Shyam Sharma said.
According to reports, the Delhi government’s inter-ministerial task force headed by PWD Minister Satyendar Jain to combat the pollution menace identified that crop burning in Punjab and Haryana is one of the major factors behind the surging level of pollutants in the national capital.
A decision to close nearly 17,000 schools under the three municipal corporations of Delhi for a day in view of the heavy smog was taken yesterday. The decision was taken on Friday at a meeting of civic officials. About 10 lakh students are enrolled in the schools run by SDMC, NDMC and EDMC. This is the worst smog situation that the national capital has witnessed in 17 years. “We have ordered the schools to remain shut till November 9. We will assess the situation after that and take a decision accordingly,” North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) Mayor Sanjeev Nayyar said.
Residents and locals of Delhi are struggling hard to cope with hazardous air pollution. Locals there have expressed their concern over the dangerous smog on Twitter. Residents have been advised to remain indoors and not venture outside unnecessarily. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sought Centre’s support and stated that the Delhi Cabinet has discussed about artificial rain. In his statement, he said emergency measures are the need of the hour instead of politicizing the Delhi’s pollution issue. The Delhi Government has announced several emergency measures to tackle the unprecedented level of pollution plaguing Delhi and the NCR.
