Delhi AQI ‘severe plus’, city urges Punjab to curb farm fires
The L-G highlighted that stubble burning was on the rise, especially in Punjab which accounted for 71% of the crop fires on November 1.
NEW DELHI: Delhi’s air quality on Friday hit the “severe plus” category, a stage at which all emergency measures are officially initiated. Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena met the heads of key departments of the city government to review the situation.
However, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal missed the crucial meeting as he is in Chhattisgarh to campaign for Aam Aadmi Party in the assembly election scheduled for November 7 and 17. Those in attendance were Environment Minister Gopal Rai and members from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).
The L-G highlighted that stubble burning was on the rise, especially in Punjab which accounted for 71% of the crop fires on November 1.
It was decided to appeal to the neighbouring states, especially Punjab, which accounted for 1,921 (71.57%) incidents of stubble burning out of a total of 2,684 on November 1, to curtail crop residue burning, by incentivising farmers. Besides, the meeting stressed special care for the elderly, co-morbid and children. It was decided that an appeal would be made to the people to remain indoors and step outside only if important.
These measures constitute the final stage of the Centre’s air pollution control plan and should ideally be activated at least three days before the Air Quality Index surpasses the 450 mark in the capital, as outlined in a policy document prepared by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).
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