NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has started tweeting daily updates on air quality in the city, with his government shifting its focus to combat expected high levels of pollution during the winter months.
"Air pollution data for 21 Sep (safe limit in brackets)- AQI- 83 (0 to 50 - Good, 51 to 100 satisfactory) PM 10- 81 (0 to 50 good, 51 to 100 satisfactory) PM2.5- 31 (0 to 30 Good, 31 to 60 satisfactory)," Kejriwal tweeted on Tuesday.
The chief minister had started posting updates on air quality index (AQI) and particulate matter (PM) levels from Saturday.
He had also said that air quality in Delhi will start deteriorating from mid-October with crop residue burning and claimed that neighbouring states have not done anything to support farmers.
Kejriwal has been tweeting daily updates on air quality on his official handle.
"The move is indicative of the Kejriwal government's efforts to combat winter air pollution levels this year on a war footing by taking together all stakeholders, including people of the city as well as neighbouring states," said a government functionary.
The air quality tweets by the chief minister make people aware about the issue of pollution and emphasise the need for timely action to take the steps to check it, he said.
Delhi faces high levels of air pollution with onset of winters, the season coinciding with paddy straw (parali) burning in the fields in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
The Delhi government is pressing for adoption of a biodecomposer developed by Pusa Institute and demanding that the Centre direct states to support their farmers for using it.
Earlier, Kejriwal said that a third party survey by the central government agency WAPCOS has found that use of biodecomposer is effective in getting rid of crop residue and thereby prevent its burning by the farmers.
He had also said that crop residue burning in neighbouring states in the October month was a major factor behind high level of air pollution in Delhi.
The Delhi government last year distributed biodecomposer free of cost that was used by farmers on 1935 acre of farm land to convert stubble into manure.
Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Monday announced that the Delhi government will double the coverage of biodecomposer sprinkling on 4,000 hectare of land.
Apart from trying to address the stubble burning problem, the Delhi government has also taken steps to check dust pollution.
The government has asked the construction agencies to take dust control measures warning "coercive" action against non compliance.
It has also prohibited storage, sale, purchase and use of firecrackers ahead of Diwali this year.
The city used to witness deadly smog post Diwali, before the ban was imposed last year.