Delhi-NCR air pollution: Rai urges Union minister Bhupender Yadav to call joint meeting

Rai also cited a study from Indian Institute of Tropical Management IITM, a central government-run body, that 69 per cent share in Delhis air pollution between October 24 and November 8 was of external sources.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Thursday urged Union minister Bhupender Yadav to call a joint meeting and prepare an action plan to tackle air pollution in Delhi-NCR. Rai also cited a study from Indian Institute of Tropical Management (IITM), a central government-run body, that 69 per cent share in Delhi's air pollution between October 24 and November 8 was of external sources. He said that a similar study by TERI in 2016 had shown that 64 per cent pollution is due to external sources and 36 per cent pollution is due internal source of Delhi.

''IITM is a central government institute, which has analysed per hour data of Safar to understand the source of pollution. IITM's data analysis from October 24 to November 8, shows that 69 per cent Delhi's pollution is due to external source and 31 per cent is due to Delhi's internal source,'' Rai said in a press conference.

He added that the Delhi government is taking a number of steps from anti-dust campaigns to ''Red Light on, Gaadi Off'' campaign to controlling the city's internal pollution. But it requires a joint effort from all NCR states such as Haryana, Punjab, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, the minister said.

''People of Delhi can't reduce the 70 per cent of the external sources of pollution. That's why I am requesting again the Union environment minister to call a joint meeting of environment minister from NCR states and make a joint action plan. Responsibilities of each state should be fixed to implement that plan and reduce pollution,'' Rai said.

He also alleged that construction activities are going unabated in surrounding areas of Delhi, which is further worsening the air. Rai said the Delhi government is providing 24-hour electricity supply due to which generator sets do not have to function here but it is not so in NCR cities. The Delhi government on Wednesday banned entry of trucks, barring those carrying essential items, with immediate effect in the national capital till November 21 or any further orders, amid alarming levels of air pollution.

The government has also shut schools, colleges and other educational institutions till further orders and extend the ban on construction and demolition activities till November 21. Later in the day, the government issued a statement where it said that Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) analysed the data of IITM which revealed that the pollution generated inside Delhi has reduced in the last five years.

The CSE took the data from the Decision Support System (DSS) for 15 days per hour from October 24 to November 8 and analysed it to get the result that 69 per cent pollution in Delhi was because of external sources.

''The environment minister said that in the Supreme Court, the central government has accepted that the share of stubble burning in pollution has increased from 35 to 40 per cent, the effect of which is visible inside Delhi,'' the statement said. Rai in the statement said that the government has converted around 1,500 industries to CNG-based, which had previously been running on pollutant fuel. ''According to the Commission for Air Quality Management, the same was to be done for the entirety of NCR, but it never happened. We had made this appeal in the previous Joint Meeting where the Union environment minister, the chief ministers of Haryana and Punjab, the environment ministers of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh but to no avail,' Rai said in the statement.

He said that are no brick kilns within Delhi, but there are many right outside. ''All the pollution from these kilns is entering Delhi. Now, they are talking of an emergency shutdown of the thermal power plant. But, the suggestion to help it move on to advanced technology has been postponed every time,” Rai said in the statement.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)