Delhi Govt Submits Report To SC, Claims Significant Reduction In Air Pollution

NEW DELHI: The Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi on Friday submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court in which it claimed a significant reduction in air pollution while listing out the benefits of implementing the odd-even rule in the national capital. Delhi government through an affidavit said findings in the DIMTS report broadly indicated a positive impact in the reduction of the air pollution contributed by vehicles, besides reduction of congestion on Delhi roads as well as an increase in the share of public transport during the period of the odd-even drive.

Air pollution in Delhi-NCR: Findings in DIMTS report broadly indicated a positive impact in reduction of the air pollution contributed by vehicles, besides reduction of congestion on Delhi roads as well as increase in share of public transport during the period of odd-even drive,… — ANI (@ANI) November 10, 2023

The Delhi government also informed the Supreme Court that as per the analysis, there was a decrease of about 6% in vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT) during the odd-even scheme period amounting to 37.80 lakh vehicle - km/day.

In its report, it added that reduced vehicle km travelled would also result in reduced fuel consumption during the odd-even scheme in the city. It has been estimated that there was about a 15% decrease in fuel consumption on an average day during the odd-even scheme implementation.

Sharing more details, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said, "A positive impact of rainfall has been noticed on the AQI level. There has been an improvement in the AQI index...We are going to put forward to the Supreme Court our studies on the implementation of the Odd-Even scheme and the need for artificial rainfall to control pollution in Delhi..."

The Delhi government has decided to bear the entire cost of artificial rain to combat hazardous air pollution in the city and directed the chief secretary to present the government's views before the Supreme Court on Friday.

If the Centre supports the decision, the Delhi government can arrange for the first phase of artificial rain in the city by November 20, they said on Thursday.

Delhi's AQI Continues To Remain In 'Severe' Category

Despite light showers in Delhi, the overall air quality in the national capital continued to remain in the 'severe' category on Friday morning, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). According to the data issued by the System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR-India), AQI in Ashok Vihar was recorded at 462 (severe), while in the RK Puram area, the AQI stood at 461 (severe category).

The air quality in Punjab Bagh was recorded at 460 (severe), while ITO stands at 464 (severe category). Gurugram recorded an AQI of 416, keeping the air quality under the 'severe' category, while Faridabad and Noida recorded 457 (severe) and 375 (very poor), respectively.

However, the city witnessed a marginal dip in the Air Quality Index (AQI) at the Indira Gandhi International Airport at 391 (very poor) while at Lodhi Road stands at 398 (very poor).

Light Showers In Delhi-NCR

The slight decline in AQI at some places was recorded after moderate rainfall lashed the city in the intervening night of Thursday and Friday. Meanwhile, the Delhi government is making efforts to execute anti-pollution measures, and it is also considering the idea of 'artificial rain' to curtail the pollution issue.

Several ministers of the Aam Admi Party were also seen on the ground on Thursday night inspecting the execution of anti-pollution initiatives. Currently, Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) has been implemented in the national capital after the city's air quality plummeted to the 'severe plus' category.