Pollution up because neighbouring states failed to control stubble: CM
New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday exhorted the people of Delhi to contribute to the fight against air pollution during the winter months while announcing the "Red Light on, Gaadi off" initiative, adding that pollution in the Capital is now increasing due to neighbouring states not doing enough to find sustainable alternatives to stubble burning.
CM Kejriwal stressed that he had been tweeting out air quality levels every day
for the last month to demonstrate just this — that Delhi's air in itself is clean and manageable but the pollution comes from stubble burning in neighbouring states.
"The governments of the neighbouring states did not at all try to help their farmers in managing the stubble. It is very evident in NASA's satellite images that stubble burning has started in the neighbouring states. Thanks to all of this Delhi will have to again bear with incessant winter pollution," the chief minister said.
Kejriwal went on to say that his government had appealed to the Centre and state governments in the NCR multiple times over the last few weeks to provide bio-decomposer spraying for farmers, "but we don't know if and when they will wake up and take up the cause and until then, we need to take care of ourselves and our health. We will do whatever we can to keep the levels of pollution considerably low".
The CM said that because of these conditions, Delhiites must pitch in in whatever ways they can to help reduce the pollution levels in the city. The chief minister said that the 2 crore people of Delhi had managed to help his government reduce pollution levels by 25 per cent since it came into power and they should continue to do so.
The CM asked residents here to follow three major steps for this — starting with switching off vehicle engines at red lights, reporting polluting activities through the Green Delhi App and maximising usage of public transport by giving up private vehicle use at least once a week.
"If we start to follow these three solutions - save fuel and combat pollution by switching off our engines on red lights, use public transport and avoid using our vehicles and be active and responsible on the Green Delhi App… then we will be making great progress in our fight," Kejriwal said.
The Delhi government's "Red Light On Gaadi Off" campaign will begin on October 18 and like last year, volunteers will be at key intersections asking people to turn off their engines while waiting. The government added that a Petroleum Conservation Research Association report had concluded that such a campaign can lead to Rs 250 crore savings in fuel costs and reduce emissions by around 13 to 20 per cent.
