Delhi environment minister urges Union counterpart to become 'active' as north India grapples with polluted air

New Delhi: Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai called upon his Union counterpart Bhupender Yadav on Friday to become "active" in addressing the air pollution problem, emphasising that it's not just the national capital but the entire North India that is breathing polluted air.

At a press conference held here, Rai said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is blaming Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for the air pollution problem in Delhi, but he is not responsible for the poor air quality in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

Rai appealed to the Union Environment Minister to become "active", saying, "It doesn't seem like there's a Union Environment Ministry in Delhi." Citing a study by the independent think tank Centre for Science and Environment, he said 69 per cent of the air pollution in Delhi comes from neighbouring states.

"While we (Delhi) are taking all possible steps to address the problem, no one knows what the environment ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are doing," he said.

He cautioned that the next 15 days are critical for the entire Delhi-NCR and that all state governments should remain vigilant and work together to control air pollution.

Rai said the government received feedback that air pollution monitoring teams set up by concerned departments are not working properly on the ground.

"Therefore, we have issued directions to all departments involved to prepare mechanisms to monitor the working of these teams," he said.

Directions have also been issued to ensure strict implementation of directives issued by the Centre's Commission for Air Quality Management to curb air pollution.

The pollution control panel on Thursday ordered a ban on non-essential construction work, stone crushing, and mining in Delhi-NCR as the air quality in the capital nosedived to the 'severe' category.

Construction work related to national security or defence, projects of national importance, healthcare, railways, metro rail, airports, interstate bus terminals, highways, roads, flyovers, overbridges, power transmission, pipelines, sanitation, and water supply are exempt from the ban.

This action is part of Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) — the Centre's air pollution control plan implemented in the region during the winter season.

Under Stage III, restrictions are also imposed on the operation of BS III petrol and BS IV diesel four-wheelers in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar.

GRAP categorises actions into four stages: Stage I - 'Poor' (AQI 201-300); Stage II - 'Very Poor' (AQI 301-400); Stage III - 'Severe' (AQI 401-450); and Stage IV - 'Severe Plus' (AQI above 450).

Delhi's air quality plummeted to the 'severe plus' category on Friday morning, at which point all emergency measures, including a ban on polluting trucks, commercial four-wheelers, and all types of construction, are mandated to be initiated and enforced in the National Capital Region.

The city's AQI rose from 351 at 10 am on Thursday to 475 at 12 noon on Friday.