Again, Delhi's air quality is "severe," causing children to have trouble breathing

After a little improvement on Wednesday, pollution levels dropped back into the "severe" category this morning, blanketing Delhi and the surrounding areas in a thick layer of smog.

Due to farm fires in nearby states and vehicle pollution, Delhi's air quality index, or AQI, is at 426. Pollution in the nation's capital has also been exacerbated by unfavourable weather.

The poorest band on the air quality index (AQI), between 401 and 500, is categorised as severe.Many Delhi residents have complained of breathing problems as a result of the city's hazardous air, with the elderly and schoolchildren suffering the most. According to medical professionals, extended exposure to hazardous air, particularly in the morning, can cause major health issues.

Due to the poor air quality, a well-known private school, The Shri Ram School, has cancelled physical education courses for tomorrow at its locations in Delhi and Haryana. Tomorrow, classes will be delivered online by the school. The school announced that physical education programmes will resume on campus starting on Monday and that N95 masks will be required for both students and employees.

More schools may follow suit, according to sources. This comes a day after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was recommended by the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights to close schools till the air quality improves. However, parents argue that rather than closing schools, the government should take more substantial action to combat the city's worsening pollution. A woman told NDTV, "Closing schools is not a solution, the government should do something to alleviate pollution."

"Our kids are having breathing problems, but the government shouldn't close the schools. They ought to take action to raise the air quality. Even before the schools were closed, the children were suffering. 

Yesterday, the city's 24-hour AQI was 376, down from 424.

Severe AQI, the worst band on the index, is defined as the range between 401 and 500. An AQI of 0 to 50 is regarded as "excellent," 51 to 100 as "acceptable," 101 to 200 as "moderate," 201 to 300 as "poor," and 400 as "extremely poor." According to experts, Delhi's air quality is at its worst between November 1 and November 15 as a result of a surge in stubble burning during this time.

According to data from the Ministry of Earth Science, smoke from farm fires contributed to up to 38% of the tiny PM 2.5 lung-damaging pollutants in the city's air during the period from mid-October to early November. This was the highest level in the previous two years. 

PM 2.5 are tiny particles with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less that can penetrate the respiratory system deeply, make it to the lungs, and then enter the bloodstream.