“Due to rising pollution levels, all primary schools in Delhi will be shifting to online classes, until further directions,” the chief minister said in a post on X.

The announcement comes hours after the Delhi government announced that the third stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), meant for reducing air pollution, will come into effect on Friday amid worsening air quality in the city.

The GRAP Stage III curbs include a ban on construction and demolition activities and plying of BS-lll petrol and BS-IV diesel light motor vehicles.

GRAP for the National Capital Region (NCR) is classified under four different stages of adverse air quality in Delhi: Stage I — ‘poor’ (AQI 201-300); Stage II — ‘very poor’ (AQI 301-400); Stage III — ‘severe’ (AQI 401-450); and Stage IV — ‘severe plus’ (AQI >450).

The air quality in the capital remained in the “severe” category for a second consecutive day on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Delhi had reported the worst AQI in the country, with the air quality turning ‘severe’ for the first time this season.

Earlier today, Delhi’s environment minister, Gopal Rai, attributed the worsening air quality to a combination of calm winds and a drop in temperature that caused the pollutants to remain trapped in the air.

Addressing a press conference, Rai said that there had been a change in the weather pattern during the past two days. He added that wind speeds are expected to pick up between Friday and Saturday, which should help reduce pollution levels in the city.

“…It is predicted that there will be a decrease in the level of pollution due to rising temperatures…. The speed of the wind has also got a little increase…. Overall, there is a chance that the level of pollution which was increased, will get decreased,” Rai was quoted as saying by ANI.