Low visibility due to thick layer of haze after Diwali celebrations in Noida on Saturday (November 6).
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has called a joint meeting of all concerned departments including Environment Department, Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Public Works Department (PWD) and Municipal Corporations. To curb air pollution from local sources in the national capital.
Rai had on Sunday written to the Center seeking an emergency meeting of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to discuss the issue of stubble burning. He said that according to scientists, stubble burning is the main reason behind the increasing air pollution in Delhi.
“We have urged the Center to convene an emergency meeting of all neighboring states on Sunday to reduce the incidents of stubble burning,” Rai said. “We have called a meeting of all concerned departments on Tuesday at 12 noon to discuss what more can be done to reduce pollution in our part of Delhi,” he said.
According to SAFAR, the air quality forecasting agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, stubble burning contributed 48 per cent to Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution on Monday, the highest in three years. Last year, the share of stubble burning in Delhi’s pollution reached 42 per cent on November 5. In 2019, burning of crop residues accounted for 44 per cent of Delhi’s PM 2.5 pollution as on November 1.
The minister also said that the Delhi government has deployed 114 tankers for sprinkling water to reduce air pollution in the capital.
Delhi recorded severe air quality for three consecutive days till Sunday due to accumulation of emissions from fireworks on Diwali and stubble burning amid adverse meteorological conditions – low temperature, wind speed and mixing height. Strong winds brought down the pollution level marginally on Tuesday and the AQI stood at 388 at 3 pm.
Read more: Delhi’s air quality improves to ‘very poor’; further relief likely
.