New Delhi authorities have determined that all schools in the metropolitan area will hold their classes on the Internet until the fifth year after the city has registered high levels of pollution, with the forecast of worsening in the coming days.
© Getty Images
07/11/2026
by
Lusa
Athe authorities of New Delhi determined that all schools in the metropolitan area hold classes on the internet until the fifth year, after the city has registered high levels of pollution, it is expected to worsen in the coming days.
The direction of education of the Indian state of New Delhi issued an order for public and private schools to try to contain children's exposure to toxic mist that covers the city.
The Central Pollution Control Council (CPCB) today registered a general 364-point Air Quality Index (AQI), with stations such as IIT Delhi in the central region reaching “severe” peaks of more than 400 points.
According to the Indian monitoring portal AQI.in, PM2.5 particle concentration in the last 24 hours — smaller particles capable of penetrating the bloodstream — is estimated to be equivalent to the impact of smoking 13 cigarettes per day.
On Friday, the Delhi government activated phase 3 of the Graduate Response Plan (GRAP III), which suspends non-essential works and restricts the circulation of more polluting vehicles — an emergency protocol that is adopted every year.
Delhi's Environment Minister, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, warned on Friday that conditions favourable to particle accumulation will worsen. He blamed the crisis on the government of the neighboring Punjab state for allowing mass burning of agricultural waste.
“From tomorrow (today), the weather will get worse; the winds will cease completely, which will aggravate the Air Quality Index (AQI),” Singh Sirsa said in a statement.
In view of the chronic rising levels, the Supreme Court, which was alarmed by the crisis, stressed that vehicle emissions remain the main pollution factor and called for the focus not to be diverted to other factors.

