Winter for Delhiites is not all about cosy sweaters or steaming cups of chai but also about the pressing concern over the air they breathe. The air quality in the national capital continued to remain in the ‘very poor’ category as the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of the city was recorded at 322 on Sunday evening, according to data from the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).
However, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said the national capital has recorded better air quality throughout the year as compared to previous years. “The pollution level in Delhi has shown an improvement throughout the year. Compared to 2015, when only 109 days had ‘good’ or ‘moderate’ air quality in Delhi, this year the number has risen to more than 200 days. This is a hopeful sign for the future,” said Rai in an exclusive interview to Jagran English. He attributed this achievement to the Delhi government’s various initiatives to combat air pollution.
To understand the actions taken by the Delhi Government to curb air pollution and its effectiveness in the union territory, we spoke to Rai who briefed about the recent actions taken by the government to help residents of Delhi breathe better. Here are the excerpts from the interview:
Winter Action Plan
The Delhi Environment Minister said the government has implemented several measures under the ‘Winter Action Plan’ which focus on controlling stubble burning, vehicular pollution, open burning and dust pollution among others, to reduce air pollution in the national capital in winter months. “The weather is not in our control but the sources (causing pollution) can be controlled to ensure the impact on people’s health is minimised,” he said.
Delhi Working With Neighbouring States
He also said that Delhi is not solely responsible for the rise in pollution level, as states which share their borders with Delhi including Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh also contribute to the increase in the pollution level of the Delhi NCR. Therefore, the Delhi government is trying to work in coordination with these state governments and the Centre to fight the increasing air pollution in the NCR region.
Rai Urges Centre To Ban Diesel Buses
He also urged the Centre to impose a strict ban on buses running on diesel in the NCR areas of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana as during an investigation at the Kashmere Gate interstate bus terminal, the minister learned that all buses registered in these locations were BS III and BS IV vehicles.
“In Delhi and the whole of North India, there is an increase in the level of PM2.5, and that of PM10 is decreasing in pollution. All the buses in Delhi are CNG. But the buses coming from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and other adjoining areas are diesel, due to which pollution is increasing. People in Delhi have to suffer because of pollution in nearby areas,’’ he said, highlighting that the poor air quality in North India is a regional issue and must be addressed with similar measures.
Stubble Burning Reduced By 60% In Punjab
He claimed that Punjab is making efforts to reduce the pollution from stubble burning compared to the previous year. He cited the data from September 15 to October 28, which showed that Punjab had only 4,000 cases of stubble burning, while last year it had 10,000 cases in the same period, a drop of about 60 per cent.
He also denied the allegations made by the Haryana Government that Punjab had not reduced the stubble burning cases and asked them to check the data released by the Centre, which confirmed the decline. He said that he had used the same data in his press conferences, as the Delhi government did not provide such data.
Odd-Even Policy Unlikely
On being asked whether the Delhi government will again implement the odd-even policy for cars in Delhi, he said that it is unlikely as it might not be needed this year. He said the government is working on resolving the issue and is considering every aspect where to resolve this environmental issue.
Air Quality Shows Improvement This Year
Highlighting that the pollution level in Delhi has shown improvement throughout the year, Rai hailed the Delhi government’s various initiatives to combat air pollution. He credited the improved air to measures such as expanding the CNG and electric bus fleet, introducing the EV policy to encourage the public to use EV vehicles, increasing the green cover in Delhi, providing 24x7 electricity to avoid diesel generators and relocating polluting industries outside the city.
He also mentioned that several action plans were implemented over the years at different levels to deal with the hazardous air pollution situation, which has been in progress since the Aam Aadmi Party came to power in Delhi.
ALSO WATCH: