Delhi School News: The country's capital Delhi and its surrounding areas are in the grip of severe pollution. Visibility reached zero at many places in Delhi on Wednesday. Amid rising pollution in Delhi, the Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) has demanded the closure of all schools up to class 5. Delhi's air quality turned 'severe' for the first time this season on Wednesday. During this, the Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 418. According to the Central Pollution Control Board ( CPCB ), 30 out of 36 monitoring stations in Delhi reported air quality in the 'severe' category.

Demand to close schools up to class 5

Delhi state BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government should close all government and private schools up to class V to save children from dangerous air quality. Sachdeva said that the Delhi government has completely failed to control pollution. He claimed that the level of PM 2.5 has crossed 400 and the level of PM 10 has crossed 1,000. He said, 'Delhi has turned into a 'gas chamber' where everyone is coughing and complaining of difficulty in breathing.'

Children and the elderly are the most affected

The Delhi state BJP president said that children and the elderly are the worst sufferers of air pollution. He alleged that no government clinic is providing medicines to deal with the harmful effects of pollution. Sachdeva demanded that immediate arrangements should be made to distribute medicines to protect people from pollution.

What is AQI?

Earlier on Tuesday, the 24-hour average AQI recorded at 4 pm every day in the national capital was 334. The CPCB categorizes AQI between 0-50 as 'good', AQI between 51 and 100 as 'satisfactory', AQI between 101 and 200 as 'moderate', AQI between 201 and 300 as 'poor', AQI between 301 and 400 as 'very poor' and AQI above 400 as 'severe'. The air quality was 'very poor' at 366 at 9 am on Wednesday. 'Dense fog' prevailed in Delhi, due to which visibility at Delhi airport became zero.

What is the update from IMD?

The IMD said the city's temperature dropped from 17.9 degrees Celsius on Tuesday to 17 degrees Celsius (63 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday morning. The IMD warned that the temperature may fall further.