New Delhi: While the Delhi government is taking the lead in fighting air pollution in the NCR, neighbouring states are still "not serious" about the issue despite the increased danger in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Environment Minister Gopal Rai has said.
Rai on Friday monitored the demolition work at Pragati Maidan and FICCI and said that the demolition work at the FICCI campus was in violation of the guidelines issued by the Delhi government and that work will resume only after the installation of anti-smog guns.
Rai said that the Delhi government had identified 39 sites with more than 20,000 sq meter areas and out of which 33 sites had installed anti-smog guns while six had not. After the visit, he said that if FICCI does not install anti-smog guns then the demolition work will be stopped and a penalty will be imposed.
The Environment Minister said that around 14 teams are monitoring whether the guidelines issued by the government are being followed at the sites.
Speaking of the work needed to be accomplished by other states, Rai said the Delhi government wants cooperation not confrontation with other states on the issue of air pollution. The land has been divided into states but the sky is one, he said in an interview with a news agency.
He said the Pusa bio-decomposer initiative as a solution to stubble burning will benefit Haryana and Punjab more, and Delhi's benefit is that it will get rid of the smoke from farm fires that make the city a gas chamber every year. Stubble burning has started in Haryana and Punjab, which contributes significantly to the rise in pollution levels in Delhi and the National Capital Region.
Rai said on Friday that the main problem in the city is dust and therefore water must be sprinkled. "One way of sprinkling water is an anti-smog gun, which sprays water at a distance and it has a system which quickly pulls out the dust," he said. To prevent dust pollution, the government has issued guidelines which include sprinkling water and covering the debris, he said.
Delhi's air quality was recorded in the poor category Friday but a government agency said it could improve by Sunday because of a likely change in wind direction.
Meanwhile, the Haryana Pollution Control Board has directed the creation of two "control rooms" in
Gurugram and Faridabad to reduce air pollution in the NCR and monitor pollution levels round-the-clock. Special training will also be provided to employees to man these control rooms.
With inputs from agencies