Primary schools in New Delhi are set to reopen on Wednesday in view of a slight improvement in the capital’s dire air quality.
The city’s environment minister said this on Monday, according to Indian news agency ANI.
Air quality had improved from massive to very poor on Monday, according to measuring stations in Delhi, prompting the decision by Environment Minister Gopal Rai.
Earlier, the city had schools temporarily closed due to particularly high levels of particulate matter.
But even on Monday, pollution levels were many times above the limits considered acceptable by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Air pollution in and around the Indian capital is among the highest in the world.
It is particularly bad in winter, when farmers in the surrounding states burn crop residues in order to be able to grow crops again quickly and cheaply a practice that has been prohibited.
Exhaust fumes from cars and industry, as well as dust from construction sites and waste incineration also affect the city’s air quality.
Nevertheless, many people in the capital do not see air pollution as a big problem.
Wealthier people buy air purifiers to keep the air in their homes clean, politically; there is little pressure to present solutions to improve air quality.
