Air pollution: Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai calls for meeting to strengthen Delhi’s pollution battle

New Delhi [India], November 16 (ANI): Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Thursday said a high-level meeting has been scheduled for 1 pm today at the Delhi Secretariat to discuss and enhance the enforcement of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) rules to combat the city’s pollution crisis.

“A meeting has been called at the Delhi Secretariat with all the concerned departments to discuss how to enhance the implementation and enforcement of the rules of GRAP that are in effect to control pollution. The meeting will explore what steps can be taken to ensure that the provisions of GRAP 4 can be implemented more firmly on the ground, Gopal Rai said told ANI.

This announcement comes at a time when Delhi is grappling with a severe air quality crisis. On Thursday morning, the national capital was shrouded in a thick blanket of smog, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at ‘severe’ category in several parts of the city.

As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality at 7 am on Thursday in Bawana was recorded at 442, RK Puram was 418 in in Jahangirpuri it was 441 in Dwarka it was 416 in Alipur 415, in Anand Vihar at 412, in ITO it was 412 and near the Delhi airport the AQI was recorded at 401.

Nine out of 11 state capitals analysed in India recorded higher pollution in the first 12 hours after Diwali celebrations this year as compared to last year.

The government’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) tracker analysed PM 2.5 (fine particulate matter) data for 11 capital cities.

Meanwhile Delhi’s LG VK Saxena has called for concrete action from the state government to combat pollution.

“The real solution to pollution in Delhi lies in Delhi itself. We can mitigate the choking smog by reducing the dust that our unrepaired roads, unpaved pavements & construction sites cause. We can employ effective means to curb our vehicular emissions. Blaming others cannot and should not be alibi for gross inaction over years. Since the deadly smog in 2016, this has become a recurrent issue subjected to nothing but platitude and rhetoric. Nothing concrete after the implementation of CNG in Delhi and construction of a maze of flyovers since then, has been attempted. Delhi needs action, not mere posturing. We can achieve sustainable goals within a fixed timeline” the LG posted on X.

Earlier, Congress MP from Anandpur Sahib in Punjab Manish Tewari criticised those who were blaming Punjab’s farm fires for the rising pollution levels.

“If stubble burning in Punjab is the problem why is AQI of Chandigarh at 80 & Delhi at 420 ? Don’t tell me the winds from Punjab blow only towards Delhi” Manis Tewari posted on X.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday announced that the government was closely monitoring the city’s pollution levels and will consider measures such as artificial rain and the implementation of the odd-even rule if the situation escalates to the ‘Severe’ plus category.

“The decision will be made based on observations over the next two to three days,” he said.

“We will reach this decision (artificial rain and the implementation of odd-even) after observing the situation for the next two to three days. If the pollution escalates to the ‘Severe’ plus category, measures will be implemented to mitigate it,” Gopal Rai said.

The pollution control measures under stage four of the GRAP are currently underway in the national capital.