Delhi govt. to start drive against burning of waste in open today

Vehicles in Delhi passing through a thick layer of smog on Tuesday afternoon.
| Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA

Environment Minister Gopal Rai said the Delhi government will launch a campaign on Wednesday to discourage open burning of waste. The Minister made the announcement after chairing a meeting on air pollution on Tuesday when the city’s overall air quality index (AQI) showed slight improvement even though it remained in the ‘very poor’ category. Delhi is likely to breathe ‘very poor’ quality air till Friday, according to official data.

Mr. Rai said that since Deepavali, the AQI levels in Delhi and neighbouring States have been consistently high, and the region is likely to experience adverse weather conditions due to lower temperatures and reduced wind speeds for the next 10 days.

“In light of these conditions, we’ve met officials from 33 departments in Delhi to review current actions and strategise on implementing the Winter Action Plan and GRAP [Graded Response Action Plan] rules more effectively in the coming days,” he said. GRAP is a set of emergency measures to control air pollution.

All departments concerned have been placed on high alert and instructed to act proactively in curbing the rise of toxic air, he added.

The Minister said several teams will be deployed on the ground to check cases of open waste burning. “The departments concerned have been asked to provide heaters for those working night shifts in government and private sectors, especially at construction sites, to reduce the reliance on open fires,” said Mr. Rai.

The overall 24-hour average AQI in Delhi on Tuesday was 373 (‘very poor’), down from 381 (‘very poor’) a day earlier, as per the official bulletin. A higher value of AQI suggests a rise in air pollution. The AQI between 301 and 400 is considered ‘very poor’.

Published – November 06, 2024 01:18 am IST

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