NEW DELHI: Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Saturday said that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal would launch the Winter Action Plan to combat air pollution in the capital soon.
The plan being readied by the environment department focuses on 10 key areas to address the major sources of pollution.
The minister had earlier said that the plan would be ready by September 30 and that consultations were on with all concerned agencies, including civic bodies, to give their inputs for the same.
Senior officials in the department said that there were data inadequacies in some of the plan inputs received from other departments. “Detailing of the plan took some time with other agencies sending their inputs. But it’s almost ready now and will be released on Monday,” said a senior official on the condition of anonymity.
The plan will focus on different aspects of air pollution, including internal and external factors responsible for hazardous levels of pollutants in Delhi’s air during winters every year. Rai listed some of these factors including stubble burning, vehicular emissions, road and construction dust, waste burning and poor management of pollution hot spots.
Each winter Delhi turns into a gas chamber due to meteorological factors such as low temperatures, poor speed and adverse direction of the wind, as well as other factors such as road dust and garbage burning besides vehicular emissions. Despite the city remaining under lockdown due to the covid-19 pandemic for months last year, the situation quickly deteriorated from August onwards with the phased reopening of the city and the economy.