The Delhi government is working on a five-dimensional anti-pollution strategy, whose pillars include innovation, scientific management of dust and solid waste, action against polluting industries, reduction of vehicular emissions, and long-term efforts to make the capital city greener and healthier.
New Delhi: An anti-smog gun vehicle sprays fine water droplets to curb air pollution amid dense fog (Photo: IANS)
Amid persisting high levels of air pollution in the national capital, the Delhi government on Monday set up an expert committee and tasked it with providing independent ideas, suggestions, and solutions to the annual crisis.
The setting up of the panel is a step in the approach that the Chief Minister Rekha Gupta-led BJP government in Delhi has adopted to deal with the air quality crisis.
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It may be noted that the Delhi government is working on a five-dimensional anti-pollution strategy, whose pillars include innovation, scientific management of dust and solid waste, action against polluting industries, reduction of vehicular emissions, and long-term efforts to make the capital city greener and healthier.
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As part of the strategy, the city government is relying on structured expert consultation instead of just relying on regulatory orders.
The Special Expert Committee constituted by the government has 11 members, including former secretaries, former chairpersons of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), secretaries of the environment and forest departments, representatives from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), and experts from institutions such as IIT Kanpur and IIT Delhi.
The Rekha Gupta government has also constituted the Implementation Committee on Control of Air Pollution (ICCAP), which will focus on the effective execution of expert recommendations and government schemes. This committee will have 16 members, including the chief secretary, MCD commissioner, DDA vice-chairperson, NDMC chairperson, DUSIB chief executive officer, special commissioner of police (Traffic), and other senior officials.
The developments come as the government has identified vehicular pollution as a key contributor to the crisis and is working to deal with the same.
Repairing of potholes, large-scale upgradation and redevelopment of road infrastructure, and end-to-end pavement construction are some of the steps which the Delhi government has launched.
The announcement came on a day when Delhi’s AQI (air quality) entered the “severe” category with the index reading 401 at 4 pm.
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