‘Un-healthy’ holidays for Delhi kids!
After an alarming rise in the pollution levels in the National Capital, New Delhi many primary schools were shut down following an emergency order from the Delhi government. With the temperatures falling low, coupled with high relative humidity and low speeds, the average Air Quality Index –AQI in Delhi went up to 448, which is worse than that recorded post-Diwali night at 403. The Central Pollution Control Board (CBPC) has warned the Kejriwal’s government that, the situation would only get murkier in the next 2 to 3 days.
With dropping visibility, many flights have either been canceled or re-routed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Many trains and other public commuting transportation systems were affected due the poor visibility and AQI.
The EPCA, a Supreme-court appointed panel with sweeping powers asked the Delhi Government to increase the parking fee of vehicles four-folds, while suggested the Metro corporation to reduce the metro fares during the peak hours. It has also suggested Kejriwal’s government to implement the ‘odd and even’ rotation policy if the AQI touches 500 for 2 days. The Delhi CM, Kejriwal termed the city as ‘Gas Chamber’.
The CBPC termed the haze as fog, while the Indian Medical Association – IMA called that the particulate matter in the air is at ‘hazardous’ levels and has issued a stern warning for everyone not to step out of homes.
