New Delhi, Oct 13 (PTI) Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Sunday said that in spite of Dussehra celebrations, people were breathing clean air with the number of good air days on the rise.
The Central Pollution Control Board, however, showed the city’s air quality was in the “poor” category with a reading of 225 at 12 pm on Sunday.
Rai said the government has been able to manage pollution levels since the number of days with “good”, “satisfactory”, and “moderate” air quality is going up.
In a press conference on Sunday, Rai said every year after Dussehra, the air quality usually dips into the “poor” category, but this year Delhi experienced clean air.
He also appealed to the central government for cooperation in helping the Delhi government stem the notorious for high pollution levels in the capital as winter approaches.
Rai said that in 2016, Delhi recorded only 109 days with good air quality, whereas this year and last year, the city surpassed 200 such days.
“Achieving 200 days of good air quality is a major accomplishment for the people of Delhi,” Rai said.
“Since the Arvind Kejriwal government took office, awareness among Delhiites has increased significantly. People are now more conscious about pollution, opting for electric vehicles, planting trees, and reducing waste burning,” he added.
On Saturday, the day of Dussehra, the AQI was in the “moderate” category with a reading of 155.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.
The minister also criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party for claiming that pollution levels in Delhi were worsening, and asked it to look at the data.
The minister also said that the AAP government is considering the use of artificial rain as an emergency measure to scatter pollutants.
He said that on August 30 he had written a letter to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, requesting a joint meeting to address air quality issues, but he was yet to receive a response.
On October 10, he sent the Centre another letter, he said.
The minister encouraged Delhi residents to participate actively in the fight against pollution by reporting instances of dust pollution and other violations via the Green Delhi app.
“We need the public’s cooperation to keep moving forward,” Rai emphasised. “If we work together, we can increase the number of good air quality days even further and make Delhi a cleaner, healthier place to live.” PTI NSM VN VN VN
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