The Delhi government on Saturday urged central and neighbouring state authorities to maximise efforts towards controlling sources of pollution, terming the next 15 days “crucial” to curb pollution in the Capital, ahead of winter onset.
New Delhi, India - Oct. 26, 2024: A view of thick layer of smog which engulfed on NH24 near Akshardham temple in New Delhi, India, on Saturday, October 26, 2024. (Photo by RAJ K RAJ / Hindustan Times) (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)
In a press conference on Saturday, Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai, who attended a meeting with central ministers and his counterparts from neighbouring states on Friday, emphasised the need for coordinated action to combat rising pollution, pointing to stubble burning and firecracker bursting as the major sources of pollution.
“With winds currently coming from the northwest, swift control of these incidents could significantly help reduce pollution levels,” Rai said, voicing concerns about Delhi’s residents.
Rai said that despite a promising downtrend in the stubble burning incidents in Punjab — with only 1,500 cases reported this year compared to nearly 5,000 cases in 2022 — there has been an increase in incidents in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, which poses a significant risk to regional air quality.
Condemning Rai’s statement, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, “It’s time Gopal Rai realises that one night of cracker bursting isn’t responsible for overall pollution. There is no cracker bursting in Delhi yet, but the pollution is high.”
According to the Decision Support System (DSS), a model under the ministry of earth sciences (MoES), the contribution of stubble burning to Delhi’s air was 14.6% on Friday and 14.5% on Thursday. It was a season-high 15.98% on Wednesday, it said. The Capital’s air quality deteriorated to the “very poor” level for the first time on Monday, after reports of firecrackers being burst on Karwa Chauth (Sunday).
The air quality index (AQI) was in the “very poor” category for four days, until Thursday, after which increased wind speeds helped improve the air quality. The 24-hour average AQI on Friday, at 4pm, was 270 (“poor”), which improved further to 255 (“poor”) on Saturday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s daily bulletin.
“Furthermore, we have appealed to the central and state ministers to take steps against the bursting of firecrackers during Diwali, which suddenly spikes pollution levels. Stubble burning, combined with firecracker pollution, makes the situation worse. Delhi has completely banned firecrackers to protect people’s health,” Rai said, following the meeting.
Anumita Roychoudhury, an air pollution expert and executive director at the Centre for Science and Environment, said, “As we move towards winter months, there is a change in meteorological conditions. There is barely any wind and the pollution from local sources, as well as neighbouring sources, get trapped in the atmosphere, thus causing a deterioration in AQI, often reaching hazardous levels.”
On Saturday, real-time data showed that the AQI at 11am was 226 (“poor”), which deteriorated to 283 (“poor”) around 7pm.
Rai also said he reached out to central ministers about artificial rain as a possible emergency measure. “Agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has assured us that this request will be considered positively,” he said.
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