Parliament recognises Delhi’s efforts to control pollution: CM
New Delhi: Delhi’s efforts to control pollution have been recognized by the Indian Parliament following a massive improvement in AQI, announced Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a press conference on Sunday. According to Kejriwal, there has been a revolutionary change in Delhi’s air pollution levels, with a reduction of 30 percent in pollution levels from 2016 to 2022-23. The number of severe AQI days has decreased from 26 in 2016 to 6 in 2022, while the number of very poor and severe AQI days has come down from 124 to 72, he added.
The Delhi government has launched a Summer Action Plan aimed at effectively tackling pollution. Under the plan, the government will take immediate and long-term steps to address the issue, including stopping dust pollution, open burning and industrial pollution, implementing solid waste management, conducting real-time source apportionment studies, increasing green cover, developing lakes, and holding dialogues with neighboring states. The Summer Action Plan is a comprehensive set of 14 focus areas aimed at reducing air pollution levels. It was launched by the Delhi CM in a press conference also attended by Environment Minister Gopal Rai.
Providing some data, the Delhi CM highlighted that in 2016, there were 26 such days where the AQI was in the ‘Severe’ category, but in 2022-23 there were only 6 such days. He further added that in 2016 there were 124 days in the ‘Very Poor’ and ‘Severe’ category, and in 2022-23 these were reduced to 72 days. He said that there were 109 days in 2016 in the Good/Satisfactory/Moderate categories and this has further increased to 163 days in 2022-23.
The CM, while highlighting the findings from Delhi government’s Real-Time Source Apportionment Study, revealed the distinct pollution sources in the city during winter and summer seasons. As per the CM, in winter, pollution stems from weather patterns, stubble burning, vehicle emissions, and open burning. Summer pollution is driven by landfill fires spurred by heat, and blazes in areas with dry foliage. This data sheds light on the complex nature of pollution and emphasizes the need for targeted solutions for each season, added Kejriwal.
Discussing the 14 focus points under the Summer Action Plan, Kejriwal listed dust pollution as one of the main causes of pollution, which has been mostly seen occurring in the summer months. To curb this problem, he said that 84 mechanical road sweeping machines are being used in different parts of the city and also 609 water sprinklers are in use in Delhi. Besides this 185 mobile anti-smog guns are also being used in Delhi.
Highlighting that these are equipment that are already with the Delhi government, Kejriwal also said that the state government is in the process to procure more machinery. He added that 70 integrated mechanical road sweeping machines and 250 integrated water sprinklers will be procured very soon and with the inclusion of this nearly all the roads in Delhi and particularly those under the PWD will be swept mechanically on a daily basis.
“However, the aim of the Delhi government is to further improve the air quality. Last year there were 6 such days where the AQI was in the ‘severe’ category and there were 66 days where it was in the ‘Very Poor’ category. Our aim is that in the near future there should be zero such days in either of these two categories,” Kejriwal concluded.
