New Delhi: Controlling dust pollution, stubble burning and vehicular emission will be at the centre of the Delhi government’s elaborate strategy as it tries to loosen the chokehold of pollution over the capital every winter.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal unveiled 2023’s 15-point winter action plan Friday, announcing several measures his government would take in the coming months to address Delhi’s annual problem.
Kejriwal particularly stressed on the 13 pollution hotspots identified in the city, which he said would have dedicated plans each — to be executed by 13 special teams. There would also be a war room, the chief minister added.
Talking to the media, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said pollution in the capital had come down by 30 per cent in the last nine years, adding the PM 2.5 levels in 2023 was 109 compared to 2014’s 149.
“The PM 10 levels in 2014 were 324, today it is 233. In 2017, the total number of good air quality days in a year stood at 109, but has increased to 163 days now. There are only six days today when the pollution levels are severe,” Kejriwal said.
On stubble burning, Kejriwal said the government would increase the use of Pusa bio decomposer, which enhances the decomposition of paddy straws. It was developed by The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
He added, “We have been using it for the past three years, and the results are good. Last year, we used the bio decomposer on 4,400 acres, which will be increased to 5,000 acres this winter.”
While a green war room will be created to monitor pollution levels in real-time, Kejriwal said the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) would be implemented based on the forecast received three-days prior – through means provided by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and central government agencies.
“If stubble burning in neighbouring states are less, the pollution here will also be less. This issue is not limited to Delhi, people in the neighbouring states should also get fresh air (to breathe). I feel there should be a joint meeting, and if the CAQM or the Centre calls for one, then a joint plan can be made,” the chief minister said.
To combat dust pollution, the government has formed over 500 special teams to monitor construction sites, while making it mandatory for those with above 500 square metres to be registered online. The installation of anti-smog guns will be mandatory at sites above 5,000 square metres, Kejriwal said.
Apart from this, 82 mechanical road-sweeping machines, 530 water sprinklers and 258 anti-smog guns will run on city roads this winter to combat dust pollution.
To bring down vehicular pollution, 385 teams have been formed to monitor the validity of PUC certificates, and to ensure that 10-year-old diesel cars and 15-year-old petrol ones stay off the roads.
Kejriwal added that 611 teams have been formed to prevent garbage burning in the open, while 66 teams would monitor industrial pollution, simultaneously ensuring these industries did not use pollution fuels.
While Delhi has seen a regular spike in winter pollution over the past years, nearly 50 per cent of the government’s environmental compensation charge (ECC) fund remains unutilised, while a significant portion of the expenditure from the fund went towards the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project.
This despite the Delhi Pollution Control Committee’s (DPCC) clear policy that ECC funds should be used to develop infrastructure for air- and water-quality surveillance, along with procuring equipment and hiring experts to remedy contaminated sites.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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