Winter Action Plan declared by Kejriwal to curb Delhi’s pollution curse
Kejriwal government has identified pollution hotspots, will stall stubble burning by 30% and control automotive pollution. A new app is also launched.
The “Winter Action Plan” to reduce pollution in the federal capital was announced by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday. According to the Chief Minister, the frequency of days with extremely high pollution levels has decreased as a result of the government’s efforts over the last eight years bearing fruit.
“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,” he stated during a news conference.
POLLUTION CENTRES
According to Kejriwal, Delhi’s 13 pollution hotspots have been identified by the administration. He said that the principal air pollution sources from these hotspots had been fully inventoried in order to facilitate targeted preventative interventions.
He claimed that the deployment of Nodal Officers was explicitly suggested to mitigate air pollution from hotspots.
The Chief Minister also gave the employees severe instructions to adhere to the rules and make sure the government’s 15-point plan is carried out in order to tackle pollution.
BURNING STUBBLE
Kejriwal said the Pusa bio-decomposer, which stops stubble burning, will be sprayed on 5,000 hectares of agriculture this year as opposed to 4,400 hectares last year in an effort to address the problem of stubble burning.
Paddy straw may be converted into manure using the Pusa biodecomposer, a microbial solution created by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in Delhi.
The Chief Minister said that there has been a 30% decrease in stubble burning in places around Delhi, citing data from the previous year.
“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. It has yielded good results,” he said.
“Secondly, the varieties of paddy – the short-term varieties have. This has less stubble and it need not be burnt. Ex-situ management of stubble – for this a few companies have adopted districts and will carry their stubble to convert it into manure or electricity. I think there should be improvement this year,” Kejriwal added
AUTOMOTIVE POLLUTION
To reduce dust pollution, the government will use 530 water sprinklers, and 385 teams will verify the pollution certificates of vehicles to stop overage automobile traffic.
Diesel and gasoline cars older than 10 and 15 years, respectively, were outlawed in Delhi by the Supreme Court in 2018. It had also stated that any cars operating against the directive will be seized. Vehicles older than 15 years are not allowed to be parked in public areas, according to a National Green Tribunal ruling from 2014.
Kejriwal said that it is unlawful to burn trash outdoors in Delhi, and 611 teams would keep an eye on its enforcement.
Additionally, he advised citizens to download the Green Delhi smartphone application and notify the authorities of any pollution-causing activities.
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