Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on October 05, 2020, announced a campaign, namely, ‘Yuddh Pradushan ke Virudh’ or war against pollution with a seven-point action plan ranging from measures to control dust and mitigate hotspots to a mobile application for complaints to a ‘war room’ for monitoring. The activities, under the programme, will continue through winter months, when pollution peaks in Delhi, causing a public health emergency every year. This year, keeping pollution levels low is even more crucial than usual due to Covid-19, which directly affects the lungs of the affected. One of the biggest reasons for this rise in pollution is the burning of crop stubble in Delhi and the nearby states, the maximum brunt of which is borne by farmers and their families. Farm fires in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh are the major cause for spike in bad air in Delhi.
Action Plan to Contain Pollution
The plan consists of the following seven points.
1. In order to provide a very cheap and simple solution to the problem, Pusa Agricultural Research Institute (PARI) has formulated a fermented liquid solution to be sprayed on the fields to soften the stubble and prevent its burning. The Delhi government will spray the solution on the basmati rice farm fields for free. If successful in Delhi, the other states can be asked to implement the same.
2. There will be an anti-dust drive in which construction sites will be strictly and regularly monitored, municipal corporations will carry out mechanical sweeping of roads, smog guns will be used, and road-owning agencies will be asked to fill potholes to prevent road dust.
3. Area-specific action plan will be executed in 13 major hotspots, identified by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The areas are Okhla Phase-II, Dwarka, Ashok Vihar, Bawana, Narela, Mundka, Punjabi Bagh, Wazirpur, Rohini, Vivek Vihar, Anand Vihar, RK Puram and Jahangirpuri.
4. A ‘Green Delhi App’ will be launched. If anyone witnesses a source of pollution, including vehicular and industrial emissions, they should click a photo, and post it on the app. The government has specified a deadline for each type of complaint.
5. There will be a ‘war room’ against pollution for monitoring of various measures. More activities will be added under the campaign in the coming months.
6. There will be tree transplantation. If an agency cuts a tree for, say, construction purposes, they have to ensure scientific transplantation of a minimum of 80 per cent of affected trees, over and above the compensatory afforestation of planting of 10 saplings.
7. The government will soon start a subsidised electric vehicle policy.
To conclude, the seven-point plan is undoubtedly an excellent one provided it is implemented earnestly and with sincerest sincerity. The agencies involved must ensure strict enforcement of the policy. The grim situation of the pollution may further deteriorate in times of Covid-19 pandemic as the virus also affects the lungs directly. The Delhi government has appealed to neighbouring states to provide a free alternative to burning stubble with a view to control air pollution and called for addressing the problems being faced by thousands of brick kilns in Delhi’s vicinity.
Courtesy: Hindustan Times