Schools begin anti-pollution measures
NCR, published in 2016, road dust is the biggest culprit, contributing 56% to PM10 levels and 38% to PM2.5 levels.
According to Dr Karan Madan, assistant professor, department of pulmonary medicine and sleep disorders, AIIMS, said, “With a rise in air pollution, there has been a 15-20% increase in the OPD attendance of patients complaining of throat and nasal symptoms. Exposure to dust can affect even healthy people with symptoms of irritation, itching in the throat and nose causing escalated colds and chest congestion.”
AT CONSTRUCTION SITES
At Dhaula Kuan, mounds of dug-up soil lay along the pavement while excavation work was being carried out at the site by the NHAI for till Subroto Park police post. Heavy traffic whiffed away dust while pedestrians were seen wearing masks to cross the stretch. Shiv Charan Singh, 55 who crosses the stretch every day to go to work, said, “This stretch has been dug up for almost a month now, the dust induces irritation in my eyes.”
An NHAI official said, “We have been following the SOPS and taking regular actions to minimise dust pollution.” He added the agency would investigate any discrepancies.
Meanwhile, at Mathura Road, construction waste was seen along the pavement beside the Nizamuddin flyover with a BSES signboard above it. A few metres away near Oberoi Hotel, another excavation was being conducted by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).
Similarly, DJB excavation work is underway at IP extension near Mother Dairy. “It has been over a month that digging work has been going on here and material lying by the road,” said, Jivesh Sharma, member, Mahasangh, federation of RWAS IP Extension.
DJB said it would ensure all its construction sites would be properly covered once the 10-day ban on construction is enforced. “All construction work being done by DJB is taken up by covering the stretch of the road with signboards,” a DJB official said.
“We have also advised our officials and contractors to strictly follow the same... Any inadvertent aberration will be looked into on priority basis,” a BSES spokesperson said.
At Pragati Maidan, digging activity was being carried out by the Public Works Department (PWD) for a tunnel there. Officials said on Tuesday they had halted construction at this site.
PWD officials said they are regularly sprinkling water and ensuring they keep “clearing all dug-up soil from the site.”
THOUGH GOVT IS YET TO ISSUE AN ADVISORY, MOST SCHOOLS HAVE STARTED INITIATIVES ON THEIR OWN
NEWDELHI: With pollution levels in Delhi plummeting, several schools have started taking precautionary measures such as suspending morning assemblies and restricting outdoor activities for their students.
Though the Delhi administration is yet to issue an advisory for schools, several government and private schools have started taking initiatives on their own.
“We have suspended morning assemblies for the next week and also stopped outdoor activities. We have advised students not to step out early in the morning and late in the evening. Besides, we have also distributed ‘amla’ among students and advised them to eat the fruit everyday as it helps minimising the effects of pollution,” said Awadesh Jha, principal of government co-ed Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in Rohini’s Sector-8.
Officials at Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya in Yamuna Vihar said they have also restricted outdoor activities. They said the school will organise “pollution day” next week wherein students will be asked to suggest ideas to curb pollution levels in the city.
“Students will also be presenting models and prototypes of their ideas,” said RP Singh, the school’s principal.
Similarly, Indira Sagar, principal at government school in Srinivaspuri said the school has started sensitising programmes in classes.
“We have asked the teachers to tell students about the precautions they can take to protect themselves from pollution. We are encouraging them to stay indoors and wear masks when they step out,” she said.
Amita Wattal, principal of Springdales, Pusa Road, said the school is organising anti-crackers awareness campaigns ahead of Diwali.
“We are encouraging students to celebrate green Diwali and say no to crackers as they also add on to the pollution levels. We have also shifted all sports and cultural practices indoors,” she said.
Officials at Ahlcon International School in Mayur Vihar said they will announce suspension of all outdoor activities on Wednesday.
“Every year whenever the pollution level goes bad we postpone outdoor activities. We cannot expose our children to toxic air,” said Ashok Pandey, principal at the school.
Sanjay Goel, director of the Delhi government’s Directorate of Education said they are waiting for a direction from Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) and after which an advisory will be issued to all schools.