Delhi Government Postpones School Sports Events as Air Quality Reaches Very Poor Levels

Due to deteriorating air quality in the capital, the Delhi government has instructed all educational institutions and sports organizations to postpone physical sports competitions scheduled for November and December.

This directive follows the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) mandating that NCR state governments and Delhi administration take immediate action to defer such events, given the high pollution levels in the region.

The Directorate of Education and Sports issued a circular on Wednesday emphasizing that all institutions under Delhi government jurisdiction must strictly comply with CAQM's advisory. This includes government, aided, and private schools, as well as those operated by MCD, NDMC, and Delhi Cantonment Board.

Universities, colleges, and sports associations recognized by national federations and the Union sports ministry have also been instructed to adhere to this order, which remains in effect until further notice.

On Friday, Delhi experienced 'very poor' air quality with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 370, showing a slight improvement from Thursday's reading of 391, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.

Officials had previously warned that air quality might deteriorate to the 'severe' category.

The CPCB classifies AQI values between 0-50 as 'good', 51-100 as 'satisfactory', 101-200 as 'moderate', 201-300 as 'poor', 301-400 as 'very poor', and 401-500 as 'severe'.

According to the CPCB's Sameer app, 23 monitoring stations in Delhi recorded 'very poor' air quality while 13 stations registered 'severe' pollution levels.