Wrong to think govt can curb pollution: Minister as Delhi air quality hits 'severe plus' category

As Delhi’s air quality dipped to the severe plus category with AQI at 471 on Friday (November 3) morning, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said while the government is working on a war-footing to mitigate the crisis, it would be wrong to assume that only it has the power to control pollution levels as the same is contributed by neighbouring states too.

“First of all, it is wrong to think that the Delhi Government can control pollution completely because the matter of pollution is not of Delhi alone...Sources outside Delhi cause twice the pollution here than the sources within Delhi. So, the Delhi government is working on a war-footing. It is a result of the efforts of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal that as per the report of the Central government, Delhi experienced more than 200 days of good air quality. But the task remains. The 10-15 days after November 1 weather changes take place. We will focus more to control the situation," Rai told the media on Friday.

Asked when the odd-even policy for vehicles will be implemented, Rai said, “We are not delaying (for odd-even). The Supreme Court has given the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) the mandate to take the decision. According to their direction, we are moving our steps. If the situation turns very serious, then we will take further decisions after discussing it with everyone."

"We are continuously working on policies. Last year, 13–14 hotspots were identified where there was a continuous increase in pollution... Now their numbers are four to five... In the whole of North India, there is this kind of situation of AQI... The next 15 days are very critical for Delhi. The speed of the wind is low, and the temperature is going down... Seeing this, the GRAP 3 rules have been implemented. We have called the meeting of all the concerned departments at 12 p.m. today. We are seeing that, though rules and policies are being made and directed, their implementation is not strict. This is a challenge..." he said.

The ‘severe plus’ category is a stage at which all emergency measures, including a ban on polluting trucks, commercial four-wheelers, and all types of construction, are mandated to be initiated and enforced in the National Capital Region. 

The emergency measures should ideally be activated at least three days prior to the Air Quality Index surpassing the 450 mark in the capital, as outlined in a policy document prepared by the CAQM.

The CAQM, a statutory body responsible for devising strategies to combat pollution in the region, on Thursday, ordered a ban on non-essential construction work and specific categories of polluting vehicles but has yet to call upon Delhi and NCR states to implement all the emergency measures.

The Delhi government has also announced the closure of all primary schools for two days in an effort to safeguard young children from health-threatening pollution.

The city's AQI skyrocketed from 351 at 10 am on Thursday to 471 at 9 am on Friday, reflecting a sudden increase in pollution levels due to highly unfavourable meteorological conditions and a sharp spike in stubble burning incidents in neighbouring states.

The city's 24-hour average AQI, recorded at 4 pm each day, was 392 on Thursday, 364 on Wednesday, 359 on Tuesday, 347 on Monday, 325 on Sunday, 304 on Saturday, and 261 on Friday.

These numbers indicate a gradual deterioration in Delhi's air quality over the last few days, culminating in a descent into the severe category on Thursday.

The air crisis is not confined to Delhi alone; several cities in neighbouring Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh have also reported hazardous air quality.

These cities include Hanumangarh (401), Bhiwadi (379), and Sri Ganganagar (390) in Rajasthan; Hisar (454), Fatehabad (410), Jind (456), Rohtak (427), Ballabgarh (390), Bahadurgarh (377), Sonepat (458), Kurukshetra (333), Karnal (345), Kaithal (369), Bhiwani (365), Faridabad (448), and Gurugram (366) in Haryana; and Ghaziabad (414), Baghpat (425), Meerut (375), Noida (436), and Greater Noida (478) in Uttar Pradesh.

As a dense and pungent haze lingers over Delhi-NCR for the fourth consecutive day on Friday, the concentration of PM2.5, fine particulate matter capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory system and triggering health problems, exceeded the safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre by seven to eight times at multiple locations throughout the region.

According to a numerical model-based system developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune, smoke from stubble burning accounted for 25 per cent of the PM2.5 pollution in Delhi on Thursday, and this figure may rise to 35 per cent on Friday. 

(With inputs from agencies)