Gautam Buddha Nagar: Decision on closure of schools due to pollution not taken yet

A decision on the closure of schools following rise in pollution levels has not yet been taken as the schools are closed today and will be closed on Sunday.

"If pollution levels do not go down by Sunday, then a decision would be taken on the schools' closure on Sunday evening," BN Singh, District Magistrate of Gautam Buddha Nagar said.

"Dear Residents of Gautam Buddha Nagar, schools are already closed on Saturday and Sunday being holidays. A decision on schools will be taken on Sunday evening based on AQI/PM2.5/PM10, EPCA guidelines and other such inputs," Singh tweeted from his official handle.

As the air quality in Delhi-NCR dipped further and become hazardous, Delhi government on Friday announced that all schools in the national capital will remain closed till November 5.

Earlier yesterday, the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority declared a public health emergency stating that the air quality in Delhi-NCR has become "hazardous" and will have adverse health impacts on all, particularly the children.

It also prohibited construction activities in Delhi-NCR till the morning of November 5, 2019, and cracker bursting has been completely banned for the entire winter period.

On Friday, in the national capital and its nearby areas such as Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Noida, Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 533, which falls in the severe category, according to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).