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The Delhi government will amp up the frequency of public transit services, increase the use of dust suppressants and target anti-pollution efforts at eight more hot spots across the city as part of measures to combat the Capital’s pollution levels, environment minister Gopal Rai said on Monday following an emergency meeting of 28 departments convened a day after the city’s air quality index (AQI) spiralled into the “very poor” zone for the first time this season.
The measures also include deploying more police personnel at major intersections, ground staff using water sprinklers while sweeping, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) hiring more private buses to encourage the use of public transport, as well as the resurrection of the “Red Light On, Gaadi Off” campaign that encourages motorists to turn their vehicles’ engines off at traffic signals.
“The weather is not in our control, but the sources of pollution can be controlled to ensure the impact on people’s health is minimised,” Rai said after the meeting on Monday afternoon as he detailed the gamut of steps that the government had decided to take to prevent a recurrence of the annual pollution scourge.
The government’s intervention came a day after Delhi’s AQI on Sunday worsened to 313, in the “very poor” zone, giving the city its worst air since May.
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On Monday, the AQI improved to 263 (“poor” zone), thanks to bright sunshine that raised the ground temperature and stronger winds that swept through the Capital, helping wash away some of the previous day’s pollutants. However, experts said this does not signal any major reprieve from the toxic air, and that pollution gauges will only tick upwards over the next few weeks.
The air quality in Delhi takes a dramatic downturn every year in late October and early November as local temperatures begin to dip and noxious smoke from farm fires in upwind agrarian states envelopes the city, making the Capital one of the world’s most polluted cities. However, farm fires this season have not yet seen a spike that they generally do this time of the year, with local sources contributing to a bulk of the a pollution.
The measures announced on Monday will be executed over and above the steps mandated under Stage 2 of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) anti-pollution programme that the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) set into motion on Saturday.
But experts pointed out that the steps are likely to do little to snuff pollutants out and that the scale of the crisis called for deeper, long-term measures to tackle the problem.
Rai, during a press briefing on Monday, said eight new neighbourhoods that are among the city’s most polluted will be added to the existing list of 13 hot spots. These will be considered under the “special category”, where ground teams will conduct regular local studies and surveys to identify and tackle sources of pollution. These areas include Shadipur, ITO, Mandir Marg, Nehru Nagar, Patparganj, Sonia Vihar, Dhyan Chand Stadium, and Moti Bagh, said Rai.
“All deputy commissioners have been directed to inspect the sites from October 25,” said Rai.
Across the city, said Rai, the government will “start adding dust suppressant chemicals so that the dust particles remain settled for a longer time”.
“We have also decided to carry out an intensive anti-dust campaign from October 25,” he added.
Rai also said that the Delhi traffic police has been asked to deploy special teams and field officers at 91 congestion points so that pollution due to traffic congestion can be reduced.
“The police will submit a daily action-taken report in this regard,” he added.
He also said the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has been asked to increase the frequency of train operations in two categories.
Stations where trains arrive every seven or eight minutes will get a train every five or six minutes now, while the frequency at busier stations will go from 5-6 minute intervals to 2-3 minutes, he said. “DTC has also been asked to increase the frequency of buses. It will also start the process for hiring additional private buses to be run on Paryavaran Bus Sewa,” he added.
A DMRC spokesperson said the directives were “under consideration” and that a revised schedule will be announced on Tuesday.
Rai also called on the city’s bureaucrats to amp up their efforts to battle the pollution menace, even as there appeared to be some dissonance between Delhi’s government and its administrative machinery on battling toxic air.
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None of the secretaries or heads of the 28 departments invited for the meeting were present, said Rai, underlining a lack of synergy that will only hinder the city’s anti-pollution fight and affect residents.
“The enforcement of these decisions required active participation at senior level. Since this (Sunday) was the first time when AQI dropped to the ‘very poor’ level, I hope the officers will be more active in the coming days,” said Rai.
Of the 32 air quality stations in Delhi that published readings on Monday, 26 were in the “poor” zone (201-300) at 4pm, according to CPCB’s Sameer app.
Wazirpur, Shadipur, RK Puram and Nehru Nagar were the worst-off and continued in the “very poor” category, with Shadipur the most toxic, clocking an AQI of 352.
The Delhi Technological University and CRRI Mathura Road stations were in the “moderate” zone.
The CPCB classifies an AQI between 0-50 as “good”, between 51 and 100 as “satisfactory”, between 101 and 200 as “moderate”, between 201 and 300 as “poor”, between 301 and 400 as “very poor”, and over 400 as “severe”.
Rai added that the government intends to start the “Red Light On, Gaadi Off” campaign on major traffic intersections from October 26. Notably, lieutenant governor VK Saxena refused to sign off on the programme last year, calling it an “ad-hoc measure” that was “ineffective against air pollution”. He also said the measure put civil defence volunteers, tasked with implementing the programme, under severe health risks.
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However, Rai said the programme this year will not involve civil defence staff and will instead rope in resident welfare groups and civil society groups.
Experts said the government needed a more holistic approach to battle the pollution problem across the region,
Sunil Dahiya, analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) said steps need to be taken to minimise pollution from sources outside the city.
“A large chunk of pollution is from sources located outside the city. There should be better management of stubble, power generation plants and industrial areas in order to reduce the pollution in the city. We need to tackle the sources in a holistic manner keeping the larger region in mind,” he added.
Dipankar Saha, former head of the Central Pollution Control Board’s air laboratory, said the air will only get worse in the days to come.
“This year, the AQI deterioration has started a bit late. The marginally better air today (on Monday) is due to a combination of meteorology, emissions and geological factors. As temperatures dip further, the AQI will continue to remain in poor to very poor range– often touching the very poor category. The mixing height will dip too, so escaping very poor air is unlikely, unless strong winds blow in brief episodes,” he added.
Capital rolls out steps to combat pollution crisis – Hindustan Times
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