Delhi's Air Pollution Situation Improves, AAP Leader Credits Kejriwal Govt

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New Delhi: After months of smog and severe pollution levels in the national capital, Delhi finally breathed with relief as it saw a significant dip in pollution levels. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai congratulated the Kejriwal-led government for its efficient efforts. Delhi saw a significant dip in air pollution levels after strict implementation of the 15-point action plan and a proactive Graded Response Action Plan was initiated. "I want to congratulate the people of Delhi. Their efforts have led to positive results this winter season," the Environment Minister Gopal Rai said. Compared to 109 good, satisfactory, and moderate air quality days in 2016, the capital logged 160 such days in 2022.

Addressing a press conference, Rai also said the AAP government in Punjab will scale up the use of bio-decomposer, a microbial solution that can turn paddy straw into manure in around three weeks, in the agrarian state.

He said the Delhi government is conducting a pilot study to assess the impact of anti-air pollution steps taken at Anand Vihar, one of the 13 pollution hotspots in Delhi. The project will be scaled up to cover all the pollution hotspots this year.

The number of poor and very poor air quality days has come down from 217 to 196 during this period. The number of severe air quality days has reduced from 26 in 2016 to six in 2022.

Several steps taken by the Kejriwal government to curb pollution in the national capital seem to have borne fruit and pollution levels have gone down significantly, said Rai. "As per the latest data there has been a significant decrease in pollution levels in the national capital," he said adding that pollution levels have improved for the poor, very poor, and the severe categories. 

"Nearly, thirty-two thousand places were raided to control dust pollution across the national capital region and fines of about four crore rupees were imposed," said Rai. Rai said that the increase in the sale of electric vehicles in the national capital has contributed to the reduction of pollution in the capital. 

"The government has registered 86,197 vehicles so that there is less pollution from vehicles," the Delhi minister said. "Also, diesel vehicles, which are more than 10 years old, and petrol vehicles of more than 15 years have been taken off the road," said the Minister. Just before the set-in of the winter in the national capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced a 15-point program, which included controlling the pollution from stubble burning to pollution from vehicles. 

To keep a track of the air pollution in Delhi, Kejriwal has recently launched a supersite with "state-of-the-art" air analyzers and a mobile air quality monitoring system for a real-time "source apportionment study" to identify the sources of air pollution in the capital. 

The study on real-time source apportionment will assist in determining the causes of the rise in air pollution at any specific location in Delhi. The project has been initiated by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) in collaboration with IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi, and TERI. 

"The state government has been very serious and sincere in dealing with the problem of air pollution in Delhi. Electric Vehicles Policy, steps to increase the DTC busses fleet, electric busses, Tree Transplantation Policy, the increased forest cover of Delhi, Graded Response Action plan, campaigns like Red Light on Gadi Off and the planned mechanized sweeping of Roads, were maintained by the government," Kejriwal said. 

(With agency inputs)