The AAP government on Wednesday urged the Centre to convene a meeting of environment ministers of states adjoining Delhi to formulate a concrete nationwide plan to counter growing threat of air pollution in the country.

A World Health Organisation (WHO) report has listed 14 Indian cities including national capital among 20 most polluted cities of the world.

Delhi’s Environment Minister Imran Hussain in a letter to the Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan referred to the report urging need for an “urgent and concrete nationwide plan” to effectively counter this growing threat, which poses major health challenge to the people of country.

Even though as a team, the environment ministries of various states work under the guidance of the Centre, yet concrete action plan has to be chalked out, he said.

“I am writing this letter with a lot of hope that all of us will come together like we have done in the past for making earnest efforts under your leadership including the recent ‘clean air for Delhi’ joint campaign of Union Environment Ministry and Delhi government…to resolve pollution related problems being faced by Delhi,” Hussain wrote in the letter.

The minister said due to multitude of agencies… involved in pollution control efforts, “environmental problems continue to remain unresolved, and are rather further aggravating the air pollution situation in Delhi.”

Stating that the air pollution does not recognise the geographical boundaries, Hussain said that Delhi experiences the episodic instances of air pollution due to prevalence of dusty conditions during April-May and burning of crops waste/residue during October-November every year contributing to the air pollution.

“I would request you to convene a meeting of environment ministers of NCR states and other stakeholder department/agencies to resolve the issues inter-alia including control of air pollution from bio-mass burning, control of vehicular emissions, control of road dust/re-suspension of dust, control of air pollution from constructing and demolition activities, control of industrial air pollution, selection of landfill sites for municipal solid waste management issues related to traffic, parking ,encroachment etc,” it added.

Hussain in a separate letter to Union Minister also raked up the issue of allotment of land by Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to EDMC at Sonia Vihar for waste dump.

The minister said the site is in the midst of thickly populated area and thus there “is a grave danger of contamination of underground aquifer making the water for human consumption, in case the land fill site comes up in the area.”