Gopal Rai seeks report over Ghazipur landfill fire
He directed the Principal Secretary of Environment and Forest to submit the report within 48 hours.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday said the government is closely monitoring the spike in air pollution in the national capital and will take suitable action if the level of pollution touches the ‘severe plus’ category.
Rai said the government may also take a decision on implementing measures like the odd-even scheme and artificial rain if the level of pollution deteriorates further.
Speaking to a news agency, Rai said the speed of wind is low and a drop in temperature is again making the pollutants stagnant. The wind speed is likely to stay the same in the next 2-3 days, he added.
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Citing expert views on the issue, the minister said there is a possibility that the wind speed improves after 2 to 3 days, thereby improving the situation.
Delhi’s air quality touched the ‘severe’ mark on Wednesday with an average Air Quality Index level measuring 401, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.
The data released on average air quality in the national capital by the pollution monitoring agency was based on readings from 31 out of 40 air monitoring stations across the city.
As per the weatherman, Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 10.9 degrees Celsius, which was three points below the season’s average, even as the weather agency had forecast a mainly clear sky with smoke.
Meanwhile, the Delhi government intensified water sprinkling in the city by anti-smog guns mounted on trucks to curb pollution.
Flagging off a special water sprinkling campaign from the Delhi Secretariat on Tuesday, Rai announced that 70 mobile anti-smog guns have been deployed in 70 assembly constituencies to sprinkle water to reduce dust pollution.
The Graded Response Action Plan has already been implemented to curb pollution.
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