Relief as Delhi schools reopen but smog crisis persists

New Delhi and the surrounding metropolitan area, home to more than 30 million people, is blanketed by a thick, acrid haze each winter.

The public health crisis has steadily worsened over the years. Weeks-long school closures across the capital, aimed at shielding vulnerable children from the harmful skies, are now annual.

For students like Aniksha, the closures are a dreary ritual that disrupts their learning for weeks and keeps them stuck at home, isolated from friends.

"It's boring to stay at home," said Aniksha, who uses only one name, on the grounds of her government school in the capital's west. "I'm happy that class is back," the 13-year-old added. "You can do more in school. You can interact with the teachers and also get their help."

Nearly 2 million students across Delhi were out of school for more than two weeks last month as the skies overhead turned a sickly yellow-gray. At the peak of the smog, levels of PM2.5 — cancer-causing microparticles that enter the bloodstream through the lungs — surged more than 60 times the World Health Organization's recommended daily maximum.

Fit and healthy

Delhi is enveloped each winter by a mix of factory emissions and vehicle exhaust, alongside smoke from seasonal crop burn-offs by farmers.

A view of Humayun's Tomb amidst the morning smog, in New Delhi, India October 22, 2024. Reuters

The city government gave schools the option to reopen last week, and many have resumed in-person classes since then. But the crisis has not abated, with PM2.5 levels still 16 times the WHO limit on Tuesday. According to monitoring company IQAir, the city has also ranked as the world's most polluted over the past few days.

Schools are directed to offer online alternatives during smog closures to minimize disruption to lessons. In practice, remote learning highlights the gulf between the city's prosperous classes and its mass of urban poor.

"Online teaching doesn't help much. Many children don't have smartphones or struggle to network," said Vandana Pandey, 29, a language teacher.

Pandey said the closures also did little to protect the health of students at her government school, who lacked the means to shield themselves from the poisonous air.

"They come from humble backgrounds," she said. "When they don't have school, they are either playing outside or helping out their parents. They are not staying at home. It's not helping them in any way."

Delhi's toxic air is a result of factory emissions, vehicle exhaust, and smoke from seasonal crop burn-offs, which linger for weeks due to cooler temperatures and slow-moving winds.

A 2021 study published in Lung India found nearly one in three school-aged children in the capital were afflicted by asthma and airflow obstruction. A Lancet study attributed 1.67 million premature deaths in India to air pollution in 2019.

The foul air severely impacts children, with devastating effects on their health and development. A 2022 report from UNICEF said children who breathe polluted air are at higher risk of developing acute respiratory infections.

Vehicles are stuck in traffic amidst early morning smog near a flower market in New Delhi, India, October 30, 2024. Reuters

Piecemeal government initiatives, such as partial restrictions on fossil fuel-powered transport and water trucks spraying mist to clear particulate matter, have failed to make noticeable improvements. School closures are also meant to improve air quality by reducing the number of commuters each day.

But Kashish, a sanitation worker and mother of two young students, said it was obvious this year's closures had no impact.

"You can't get rid of the pollution just by keeping children away from school," she said.