Delhi tells schools to postpone outdoor sports activities amid worsening air pollution

The Delhi government has directed all schools in the national capital to suspend their outdoor sports activities scheduled for November and December in view of deteriorating air pollution levels and the potential health risks to children, The Times of India reported on Friday.

The directive came after the Supreme Court on Wednesday urged the Commission for Air Quality Management, a statutory body formed in 2020 to address pollution in the National Capital Region and adjoining areas, to consider asking schools to shift such activities to “safer and less susceptible months”.

Following this, the air quality panel said in an advisory that all sports activities in schools should be postponed due to severe pollution levels, adding that the current air quality in the national capital posed significant health risks to children, India Today reported.

The advisory also extended to universities, colleges and recognised sports associations in Delhi-NCR.

On Friday, the Air Quality Index at 11 of the 39 monitoring stations in Delhi recorded readings above 400, categorised as “severe”, showed the Sameer application, which provides hourly updates published by the Central Pollution Control Board, at 2.44 pm.

Despite ongoing restrictions to curb pollution, Delhi’s average AQI stood at 364, placing it in the “very poor” category, the data showed.

In areas adjoining the national capital, Ghaziabad recorded the most severe pollution levels...

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