Delhi schools shift classes up to 5 to hybrid mode as air quality worsens

• Delhi schools shift classes up to Class 5 to hybrid mode following GRAP-III invocation.

• AQI stands at 364 in the 'very poor' category on Saturday.

• Missing monitoring data, new stations and allegations of water spraying fuel questions over AQI reporting.

The Delhi Directorate of Education has directed all government and private schools in the national capital to conduct classes up to Class 5 in hybrid mode as air pollution worsens, allowing students to attend either in person or online.

The directive, issued on Friday, 6 November, applies to government, government-aided and unaided recognised private schools under the Directorate of Education, as well as institutions run by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Delhi Cantonment Board.

According to the circular, the decision was taken in compliance with the Commission for Air Quality Management's (CAQM) order invoking Stage III measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR with immediate effect.

The CAQM invoked Stage III restrictions on Friday, as pollution levels deteriorated and forecasts indicated a possible further decline in air quality. Delhi's AQI stood at 364 in the 'very poor' category on Saturday, according to the CPCB's Sameer app.

The directorate has instructed school heads to immediately inform parents and guardians about the hybrid arrangement. Deputy Directors of Education across districts and zones have also been asked to visit schools under their jurisdiction to ensure smooth implementation of the directions.

Questions over reliability of AQI readings

The worsening pollution comes amid a growing controversy over the accuracy and reporting of Delhi's air quality data, with allegations that the official AQI may not fully reflect the extent of pollution across the capital.

A recent analysis by Hindustan Times of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data found that the addition of 13 new monitoring stations to Delhi's network in October may have pulled down the city's average AQI. Their PM2.5 readings were around 35 per cent lower than those recorded at neighbouring older stations. According to the analysis, excluding the new stations would have pushed Friday's 4.00 pm AQI bulletin from 382 to 393, while the readings at certain points during the morning could have placed the city in the 'severe' category.

The Delhi government has defended the expansion, maintaining that the new stations were installed in previously uncovered peripheral areas to address gaps in the monitoring network. It has argued that excluding these locations simply because they record lower pollution levels would also distort the city's overall air quality assessment.

Concerns have also emerged over missing readings from existing monitoring stations. An analysis by The Indian Express found that at least 11 stations recorded gaps in particulate pollution data on Friday, resulting in 22 missing hourly PM2.5 readings and 27 missing PM10 readings. Across 59 monitoring stations, 144 PM2.5 and 282 PM10 hourly readings were missing over the preceding week.

Under the CPCB's methodology, a station needs at least 16 hours of readings for each of at least three pollutants, including PM2.5 or PM10, to calculate its daily AQI. Inadequate data can therefore leave localised pollution levels unrepresented in the station-wise assessment.

Adding to the controversy, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has accused the BJP-led Delhi government of manipulating pollution readings by allegedly sprinkling water around air-quality monitoring stations to artificially lower AQI levels.

AAP's Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj wrote to the CAQM on 4 November seeking an independent investigation into the allegations. Citing videos purportedly showing water being sprayed near a monitoring station at ITI Jahangirpuri, he alleged that the practice could suppress PM2.5 and PM10 readings and create an artificially favourable picture of the city's air quality. The party has also sought an audit of monitoring stations and their data acquisition systems. These remain allegations and have not been independently established.

The controversy has raised broader questions about the reliability of the official AQI, particularly as the readings determine the implementation of emergency pollution-control measures under GRAP.

With PTI inputs