High-velocity dust storm hits Delhi, schools partially closed on Tuesday

The storm with a wind speed of 70 kilometres per hours, hit Delhi around 11.20 pm

Current News : A high-velocity dust storm hit the national capital tonight, the weatherman said. The storm, with a wind speed of 70 kilometres per hours, hit Delhi around 11.20 pm, an official at the Safdarjung observatory said.

Earlier in the day, the Delhi government decided to close all evening schools on Tuesday and put search and rescue teams on standby in the wake of the meteorological (MeT) department issuing a warning of heavy rain and thunderstorm.

The traffic police has alerted their field formations to be ready to remove obstacles such as fallen trees and asked commuters to check weather conditions before travelling.

The Delhi Metro, too, has decided to exercise extreme caution in running of trains in the wake of the warning.

The government said that all evening schools (second shift which starts from the afternoon) will be shut tomorrow after chief secretary Anshu Prakash chaired a high-level meeting to review the preparedness in the wake of the warning.

"All evening schools will remain closed tomorrow following the weather warning," a senior government official told PTI.

The government has also asked other schools to not hold outdoor activities and extracurricular activities between 3 pm to 7 pm during which winds speed is expected to remain high.

The government also issued a list of "dos and don'ts" to deal with any such possible situation. The Department of Education later also issued a circular on the issue.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday issued an alert forecasting that several parts of north India including Delhi could witness thunderstorm and squall tomorrow with winds gusting up to 50-70 kilometers per hour.

Officials of the fire, revenue, traffic police, home, public works departments and others were present in the meeting chaired by the chief secretary.

In the list of "dos and don'ts", the government has advised citizens to try to stay indoors and staff off verandas and keep a watch on local weather updates and warnings.

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