New Delhi: Even as stubble burning's share in Delhi's polluted air came down to 27 per cent on Tuesday, the air quality here worsened to enter the "severe" category once again with the Delhi government announcing that it was stepping up its campaign to fight local sources of pollution.
The second phase of the anti-dust campaign will be run from November 12 to December 12, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said at a presser, adding that his government would also be holding a month-long campaign against open burning of garbage and biomass from November 11.
Meanwhile, the Central Pollution Control Board reported an AQI of 404 in Delhi with weather experts suggesting that low temperatures — Delhi recorded a minimum of 13.5 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, the season's lowest so far — allowed accumulation of pollutants.
The increase in pollution levels is largely a result of the bursting of firecrackers on Diwali and the smoke from stubble burning in neighbouring states. It created a blanket of smog all over the city, Mahesh Pahlawat of Skymet Weather said.
However, announcing the escalation of Delhi government's anti-pollution campaigns, Rai said, "While it's not in our hands to curb stubble burning in neighbouring states, efforts can be made to further reduce pollution generated from local sources."
The four main sources of pollution in Delhi include dust, vehicular emissions, waste burning, and farm fires.
Ten departments — DPCC (Delhi Pollution Control Committee), municipal corporations, revenue department, Delhi Development Authority, Development Department, DSIIDC, I&FC (Irrigation & Flood Control) Department and Cantonment Board -- have formed 550 teams, of which 246 are for nighttime patrolling for checking open burning of waste, the minister said.
He said measures to deal with sever air quality will be taken in the capital under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which includes a ban on diesel generators and increasing the frequency of bus and metro services.
Now, all the departments have been directed to set up anti-dust cells which will work in coordination with the DPCC to implement the Joint Anti-Dust Action Plan, Rai said, adding that over 400 tankers will be deployed by civic bodies, Cantonment Board and Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) to sprinkle water and control dust pollution in the city.
However, no respite has been predicted for Delhi and adjoining areas for the coming week. Palawat said the share of stubble burning in Delhi-NCR's air pollution is expected to remain high for another week. "No major improvement in air quality is likely in the next four to five days," he added. Environment Minister Rai has already written to the Centre seeking an urgent meeting with all NCR states regarding stubble burning but said on Tuesday that the meeting was yet to be scheduled.