Kejriwal hopes to see no ‘severe’ air days in Delhi, calls for jan andolan against pollution

The Delhi CM spoke about initiatives taken by his government to tackle air pollution in the national capital.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday called on the people of Delhi to turn the fight against pollution into a jan andolan (people’s movement), adding that the government is working hard to make Delhi’s air cleaner.

CM Arvind Kejriwal during the 'Paryavaran Sammelan’, at Thyagraj Stadium in New Delhi on Monday. (ANI)

“If we look at the data for 2022 as compared to the year 2016, there has been a 30% decline in both PM2.5 and PM10. Data also shows that in 2016, there were 26 ‘severe’ air days -- days where the pollutants in the air were so high that Delhi had become a gas chamber and it was difficult for the citizens here to breathe. In 2022, we had only six such days. Soon, we hope to reach such a stage where there will not be even one such day in the near future,” Kejriwal said at a paryavaran sammelan (environmental conference), organised by the Delhi government at Thyagraj Stadium on Monday, which was observed as World Environment Day.

The gathering consisted of school teachers, students from over 2,000 eco clubs from schools across the city, forest guards, government officials, and members of RWAs. Environment minister Gopal Rai was also present.

However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dismissed Kejriwal’s claims, with leader of the opposition in the state assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri saying that the condition of Delhi’s roads is very poor, and the deteriorating state of public transportation is contributing significantly to air pollution.

Separately, lieutenant governor VK Saxena celebrated World Environment Day by undertaking a plantation drive at Yamuna Vatika, a garden being created on the western banks of the Yamuna.

Kejriwal, speaking about the initiatives undertaken by his government to improve air quality in the Capital, said Delhi introduced the Tree Transplantation Policy In 2020 – mandating that not only is compensatory plantation done in the city, but instead of being felled, trees are transplanted to a new location.

He said the government had facilitated a switch to cleaner fuels in 2018, with industries now running on piped natural gas (PNG), had launched a real-time source apportionment study this year and had also been working to improve air quality at the 13 pollution hotspots identified by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee in 2018.

“We have also successfully been able to implement the ‘Yuddh Pradushan Ke Virrudh’ (war against pollution) campaign in recent years. Through our efforts aimed at reducing pollution caused by stubble burning, the use of the bio-decomposer solution developed by the India Agricultural Research Institute has meant Delhi has witnessed a significant decline in stubble burning incidents, leading to improved air quality,” Kejriwal said.

“In 2013, the area under green cover was around 20% and currently, it is 23%. We have set an ambitious target of planting 5.2 million lakh saplings this year, which demonstrates our determination to foster a greener and healthier future for you all,” he added.

The CM said that the air does not belong to Delhi alone, adding, “On this occasion of the World Environment Day, I urge everyone gathered here to take the pledge to clean and protect the environment in Delhi. Participation of people is crucial and the state government cannot clean Delhi alone.”

Rai said more such conferences will be held in the future.

“Under the chief minister’s leadership, we will extend this campaign to every corner of Delhi. In collaboration with eco clubs, RWAs, religious institutions and traders’ associations, we will organise similar Paryavaran Sammelans across different parts of Delhi to not only promote environmental awareness, but also facilitate the distribution of plants,” he said.

Saxena celebrated World Environment Day by undertaking a plantation drive at Yamuna Vatika. After the drive, he tweeted, “This is a new permanent eco-sustainable green recreational asset, being developed by the DDA for the people of Delhi, after Asita & Baansera. This will also help rejuvenate the Yamuna. (sic).”

Saxena further said he planted Chinar and Cherry Blossom saplings over 450 acres of the Yamuna floodplains, which will have a 10-acre seasonal flower garden, tracks, decks, cafeteria and parks in tandem with the riverine ecology of the flood plains.

The Delhi Zoological Park observed World Environment Day with officials planting medicinal plants. The event was attended by Union minister of state for ministry of environment, forest and climate change, Ashwini Kumar Choubey. Starting Monday, 12 wheelchairs, including two electrical wheelchairs, were also made available for visitors at the zoo.

Similar celebrations were held across all seven biodiversity parks that fall under the Delhi Development Authority – the Kamla Nehru Park, Yamuna Biodiversity Park, Aravalli Biodiversity Park, Tilpath Valley, Tughlakabad, Neela Hauz and Kalindi Biodiversity Park. The celebrations saw talks on plastic pollution – the theme of this year’s World Environment Day -- followed by plantation drives, which were attended by students and experts from environmental organisations and NGOs.