India’s Delhi to install air purifiers in 10,000 classrooms as pollution levels climb

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A family walks past the Akshardham temple shrouded in heavy smog and air pollution in New Delhi on Dec 19.

PHOTO: REUTERS

NEW DELHI - As pollution levels climb in the national capital, the Delhi government on Dec 19 announced a plan to install air purifiers in government school classrooms, while launching a fresh political attack on the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administration over its handling of the air quality crisis.

Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood said the government would float a tender in the first phase to install air purifiers in 10,000 classrooms across government schools, stressing that children’s health would not be compromised.

Speaking to the media, Mr Sood said the initiative is aimed at ensuring a healthier learning environment amid persistent pollution concerns.

“Along with smart classes, children will now get ‘pure air’. In the coming phases, air purifiers will be installed in every classroom of Delhi government schools in a phased manner,” he said, adding that the government was determined not to “play with our children’s health”.

Underlining the broader context of Delhi’s air crisis, Mr Sood said pollution in the capital is not confined to a particular season or a few months.

“This is not a seasonal or a 10-month issue. Delhi does not have its own weather. When there is snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir, cold increases here, and when there is a dust storm in Rajasthan, Delhi also gets affected,” he said.

Later, Mr Sood sharpened his criticism of the previous AAP government, alleging that air pollution had