Delhi air pollution: Environment Minister Gopal Rai to review situation today

New Delhi: Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai will hold a meeting with senior officials on Monday to review the air pollution situation in the national capital. Officials from civic bodies, the fire department, the public works department and other departments concerned will attend the meeting, the sources said.

Following directions from the Supreme Court, the city government had on December 2 announced the closure of all schools in the national capital till further orders in a bid to minimise the impact of air pollution on the health of children.

It had earlier banned construction activities and the entry of trucks, barring CNG and e-trucks and those carrying essential commodities, till further orders.

The apex court had asked the Commission for Air Quality Management on Friday to examine pleas for lifting the construction ban and relaxing restrictions on industrial units in Delhi-NCR within a week. 

The air quality in the national capital continues to remain in the ‘poor’ category on Monday morning. According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the portal of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, the air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 256 this morning. 

The air quality of the NCR region of Noida and Gurugram is also in the 'poor' category. Gurugram logged an AQI of 286 and it stands at 256 in Noida, according to SAFAR.