Can't control Delhi's air pollution, where's union minister: Gopal Rai
As Delhi's air quality deteriorated severely, Delhi's Environment Minister Gopal Rai said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government cannot control the air pollution completely. Passing the buck to the Centre, he asked, "Where is the Union Environment Minister?" referring to Bhupendra Yadav. Claiming that sources from the city's surrounding areas cause twice the pollution, he said, "The opposition leaders and the Centre should hold emergency meetings to address the same."
Why does this story matter?
Over the past week, the national capital's 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) has been on a steady decline. The AQI in Delhi skyrocketed from 351 on Thursday morning to 475 on Friday morning, primarily due to unfavorable weather conditions and a significant rise in stubble-burning incidents in nearby states. Lower temperatures and foggy conditions in winter worsen the air quality by trapping particulate matter (PM), which is further worsened in the festival season due to firecrackers.
Delhi witnessed constant improvement in air quality, says Rai
Rai lauded the efforts of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, citing the central government's report, which showed that in 2015, only 109 out of 365 days had good air quality. Last year, the number of days with good air quality reached 163, while this year it has crossed 200. Notably, the AAP came to power in Delhi in 2013. Earlier, Kejriwal cited PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels to highlight a 30% reduction in pollution levels over the years.
GRAP Stage 3 implemented
The alarming pollution levels have prompted the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to activate the third stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) on Thursday. GRAP Stage 3, implemented when the AQI is in the 401-450 range, imposes restrictions on BS3 petrol and BS4 diesel vehicles. A violation of the same invites a Rs. 20,000 fine. The government has also suspended all construction activities and primary school classes until Saturday.
Delhi's AQI nears 'severe plus'
The lack of rainfall in October 2023, with only 5.4mm of precipitation recorded, has worsened the situation, Rai said. He said the government is not delaying the implementation of the odd-even scheme and will make further decisions based on the CAQM's guidance. An AQI between 0-50 is considered as "good," 51-100 as "satisfactory," 101-200 as "moderate," 201-300 as "poor," 301-400 as "very poor," 401-500 as "severe," and above 500 as "severe plus."
