Schools trying to minimise impact of bad air, but only a few are equipped
NEW DELHI: With air quality in Delhi plummeting, several city schools are taking precautionary measures such as suspending morning assemblies and restricting outdoor activities for their students, but hardly any provisions such as air purification systems necessary to protect vulnerable children from the health hazards of poor air.
On Thursday, during school hours, the level of ultrafine particulate matter PM2.5 was consistently over 260 micrograms per cubic metre, more than four times the safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre. At these levels a person can experience sore throat, respiratory distress and damage to body tissue.
According to the graded response action plan (Grap), schools are suspended only if the air deteriorates to the “severe+” category — when PM2.5 levels cross 300 µg/m3, or PM10 levels cross 500 µg/m3, or the air quality index crosses the 500 mark, and these conditions persist for 48 hours or more.
But experts argue that this is not enough. In 2017, the Delhi government had suspended schools for five days when, but no such measure has been announced to so.
With schools continuing, many of them are making do the best they can – and some more than others -- to combat the situation.
At Sanskriti School in Chanakyapuri, for example, an air quality monitoring system informs the administration about pollution levels in real-time. “Accordingly, we take a call on having morning assemblies and whether to allow students to play outside,” said Richa Sharma the school’s principal. “We have suspended outdoor activities. For primary students we have set up a room for indoor activities instead.”
At Springdales School in Dhaula Kuan, canteen stalls and sports coaching sessions have been shifted indoors. “We postponed our annual sports meet slated to be held on November 3,” said Ritu Madan, its officiating principal.
There are only a few schools who have installed air purifiers.
The three campuses of Shri Ram School have one in each class. Manika Sharma, its director, said that the purifiers were installed in collaboration with the parent-teachers’ association. “They contributed for the cause and the school then took it forward. We have installed in all our campuses including Vasant Vihar in Delhi, Moulsari and Aravali campuses,” she said.
Similarly, the website of Chanakyapuri’s British School says that the campus has air purifiers installed in all indoor areas.
But in the absence of purifiers, several schools encourage their students to opt for N95 or N99 masks.
Ameeta Mohan, principal of Amity International School in
Pushp Vihar, said they have stopped all outdoor activities and are making extra efforts in keeping clasrooms clean, and are engaging in awareness activities.
The government’s directorate of education (DOE), for its part, has said it may postpone the sports competitions scheduled for the coming weeks.
“It’s a very crucial time for board class students. We will wait for the government’s order on when to suspend the classes. We have already issued an advisory to the schools to suspend all outdoor activities,” its director Binay Bhushan said.
Aparajita Gautam, president of Delhi Parents’ Association, said that since pollution levels spike at this time of the year, there should have been better preparatory measures. “As a mother, I feel my children should stay at home but that is not a permanent solution. The air quality is same everywhere. The government should come up with some permanent solution.”
Cough
Eye allergy: Ear infection:
Bronchitis:
Pneumonia:
Eye infection: Sore throat:
Chronic cough and bronchitis: