look news india
New Delhi, August 20 (HS). In view of the pollution problems during winter in Delhi NCR, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has written a letter to Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav. A few months before the winter season, Rai has written a letter to the Union Environment Minister and requested him to call a meeting to discuss the issue of sources of pollution from neighboring states and develop an integrated strategy in collaboration with neighboring states.
Rai has urged the central government to take strong action by facilitating cooperation between Delhi and its neighbouring states to address cross-border sources of pollution. He mentioned in the letter that despite the efforts of the Delhi government and some improvement in air quality, the air remains dangerous due to factors beyond the state's control, including crop residue burning, thermal plants, brick kilns, diesel generators, non-electric vehicles and industrial emissions. Neighbouring states should also pay attention to this and take timely measures.
In the letter, Gopal Rai has mentioned that due to the concerted efforts of the Delhi government in particular, a positive effect has been observed in the overall air quality of Delhi. There was an increase of 35.5 percent in good/moderate air quality days from 2017 (152 days) to 2023 (206 days). The Delhi government has controlled pollution through initiatives such as the odd-even scheme, promoting electric vehicles, promoting public transport, banning firecrackers, running a large-scale plantation drive and switching industrial units to clean PNG fuel.
According to the data of the Center for Science and Environment, 31 percent of pollution in Delhi is caused by internal sources of Delhi. Whereas, 69 percent is caused by external sources. As per the advice, industries running on polluting fuel around Delhi should be shifted to PNG. Brick kilns should be converted to zig-zag technology. 24-hour electricity supply should be provided so that there is no need for generators. It is mentioned that there should be a complete ban on firecrackers in NCR.