The Supreme Court-mandated anti-pollution authority EPCA on Wednesday ordered schools in Delhi-NCR to be closed till November 15 as pollution in the city hovered close to ’emergency’ levels.
At 11.30 am, Delhi’s overall air quality index read 454, which was in the ‘severe’ category as the city chocked from toxic smog. Jahangirpuri and Rohini were the most-polluted areas with an AQI of 483 each, followed by Mundka (479) and Bawana (479).
Government air-quality monitoring agency SAFAR said a reasonable improvement (to the ‘very poor’ category) is expected only by November 16.
A large number of children were exposed to the harmful levels of pollution as schools remained open on Wednesday.