'Problem of air pollution not only in Delhi': CM Arvind Kejriwal urges Centre to come forward to take specific actions

Amid the deteriorating air quality in Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal said this is not the time for blame games and finger-pointing as the air pollution is a challenge not only for Delhi but for the northern India.

Image credit: PTI

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday (November 4) urged the Central government to help the national capital in curbing air pollution as the air quality index here crossed the 450 mark. While addressing a joint press conference with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Kejriwal said, "the problem of air pollution is not only in Delhi, it is a problem being faced by northern India and the Central government should come forward and take specific actions to curb the air pollution.

Addressing the press conference, Kejriwal said the Punjab and Delhi governments are not only responsible for the air pollution and there are many factors that derive the phenomenon. "This is not the time for pointing fingers, we should not politicize this type of sensitive topic," Kejriwal added.

On Friday (November 4) morning, Delhi's air quality remained in the 'severe' category, with the city's total Air Quality Index (AQI) climbing to 472. Noida’s average AQI is reported around 562 today. Ghaziabad’s AQI reaches 407 and Delhi’s Dheerpur area records AQI of 512. Most of the areas in Delhi-NCR are under the ‘severe’ category. At the same time, Gurugram's AQI stood at 539 and remained in the 'severe' category.

Stubble burning major contributor in Delhi air pollution

Meanwhile,  SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research) reported on Friday that stubble-burning contributed 34% of Delhi's PM 2.5 pollution. 

BJP accuses AAP for Delhi's air pollution 

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called the poor air conditions of Delhi a complete failure of the Kejriwal and Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. BJP spokesperson Shahzad Poonawalla said that the Punjab AAP government has completely failed to tackle the situation of stubble burning. He attacked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for the diminishing air quality in the national capital region and said that "Delhi has become a gas chamber".

"This kind of a situation arises every year in Punjab, due to the lack of concrete policy by the Delhi government regarding the large-scale burning of stubble in the fields and other causes of pollution," Poonawala said.

"On one hand, the continuously falling level of pollution in Delhi remains a problem for the common man, on the other hand, politics has also intensified regarding this air pollution," he added.