Back13 ‘air pollution hotspots’ in Delhi: Here's what we know about CM Kejriwal's 'Winter Action Plan'
Delhi unveils 'Winter Action Plan' to combat air pollution; 13 hotspots identified for separate plans.
PremiumIn a bid to tackle air pollution in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday released comprehensive ‘Winter Action Plan’. As many as 13 hotspots have been identified in the city and the Delhi government will have separate plans for those locations.
Detailing about the winter action plan, he said, the Pusa biodecomposer that prevents stubble burning will be sprayed on 5,000 hectares of farmland this year against 4,400 hectares last year.
The Pusa biodecomposer, developed by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) here, is a microbial solution that can turn paddy straw into manure in 15-20 days.
“The government will deploy 530 water sprinklers to prevent dust pollution and 385 teams will check vehicles' pollution certificates and prevent the plying of overage cars"
CM Kejriwal, however, memtioned that pollution levels declined in the national capital due to government initiatives.
He said at a press conference, “The number of days witnessing severe pollution levels declined in the last eight years due to several initiatives of the government, such as the introduction of electric buses and the EV Policy, among others"
In 2018, the Supreme Court banned diesel and petrol vehicles older than 10 and 15 years, respectively, in Delhi. It had added that the vehicles plying in violation of the order would be impounded.
A 2014 order of the National Green Tribunal bars vehicles older than 15 years to be parked in public places.
Kejriwal said burning garbage in the open is banned in Delhi and 611 teams will monitor its implementation. Meanwhile, on stubble burning from neighbouring states, Delhi CM said, "In Punjab, we formed our Government in March last year. The data from last year shows the steps taken in 6-7 months led to a 30% reduction in stubble burning. This year Bhagwant Mann has taken several steps. One of which is the diversification of crops - instead of paddy grow other crops. This will save water and lower stubble burning."
He also urged people to download the Green Delhi mobile application and report any pollution-causing activity to the government.
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