New Delhi: Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday (November 21), said that he expects an improvement in air quality in the upcoming days in the national capital and said that people need to be alert to curb air pollution. “An improvement can be seen in the pollution level in Delhi, which was in the ‘Severe’ category before. Further improvement will be seen in it in the coming days. As per the predictions of the weather department, there is no possibility of going into the ‘Severe’ category. But people need to be alert to curb air pollution. The government is keeping watch over everything,” Minister Gopal Rai said. The Minister added,
The Punjab government has controlled stubble burning by more than 50 per cent as compared to last year.
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Earlier, Minister Rai said that a 6-member special task force has been formed, under the leadership of the Environment Special Secretary for proper implementation and monitoring of GRAP rules. He further said,
The task force includes the Special Commissioner of Transport, DCP (HQ) Traffic Police, Deputy Commissioner, Revenue (HQ), Chief Engineers of MCD and PWD. The main work of this task force will be to coordinate daily with the concerned departments, remove the problems faced by them and give the implementation report to the government.
Meanwhile, the National Capital continued to experience ‘very poor’ air quality on Tuesday morning, with an air quality index (AQI) of 323, as per the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR-India).
AQI in IIT Delhi was recorded at 321, the Airport (Terminal 3) area at 336 and Pusa at 337, as per the SAFAR.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), at 7:41 am, AQI in Anand Vihar was recorded at 374, in Jahangirpuri at 399, in Lodhi Road at 315, and in New Moti Bagh at 370.
The Air Quality Index from 0 to 100 is considered as good, while from 100 to 200 it is moderate, from 200 to 300 it is poor, and from 300 to 400 it is said to be very poor and from 400 to 500 or above it is considered as severe.
Notably, with an improvement in the air quality in Delhi, the CAQM (Commission for Air Quality Management) on Saturday revoked the restrictions that were imposed under GRAP 4, permitting trucks and buses except for BS-3 and BS-4 petrol and diesel vehicles to enter the city and lifting the ban on ongoing construction activities.
Also Read: Impact Of Worsening Air Pollution And How To Protect Yourself From It
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which in its Season 10 is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Ayushmann Khurrana. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In a world post COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental well-being, self-care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
