New Delhi: The Delhi government has intensified its anti-pollution drive across the city, deploying nearly 2,000 enforcement teams to tackle sources of pollution as the Air Quality Index (AQI) showed a notable improvement of around 50 points within 24 hours.
According to Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Delhi’s AQI stood at 305 on Thursday compared to 353 the previous day, indicating the impact of coordinated field operations. “Delhi’s AQI has improved significantly, today’s level of 305 is nearly 50 points better than yesterday’s 353. The city is responding to swift, coordinated action on the ground,” he said. The government has deployed 376 anti-smog guns, 266 water sprinklers, and 91 mechanised road sweepers across the capital, all GPS-tracked for real-time monitoring. Additionally, 443 anti-burning patrols, 578 vehicular enforcement units, and 378 dust-monitoring teams are operating round-the-clock under the supervision of the Green War Room.
Sirsa said the city’s approach is “science-backed, data-driven, and service-oriented,” stressing that the administration’s mission is “clean air for every citizen.”
He added that while current interventions are delivering results, the government is also focusing on long-term improvements. “Our efforts are not limited to the present, we’re strengthening the future. Work will soon begin for 70 more mechanised sweepers, 70 additional anti-smog guns, and 140 litter pickers covering 1,440 km of roads,” he said.
Sirsa also announced upcoming cloud-seeding operations in collaboration with IIT Kanpur and the IMD, aimed at reducing pollution through artificial rainfall. “We have moved from reactive clean-up to continuous control. Every machine, every vehicle, and every officer is accountable through real-time dashboards,” he said.
The Environment Minister reiterated that “Delhi’s improved AQI shows the system is working,” but emphasized that clean air “must be an everyday mission, not a seasonal campaign.”