Vikrant Shekhawat : Oct 20, 2024, 03:40 PM
Delhi Pollution: The problem of pollution in Delhi is becoming increasingly serious, and its air is becoming poisonous day by day. The Air Quality Index (AQI) has crossed 300 in many areas of the capital, which is at an extremely dangerous level. On Sunday, AQI 445 was recorded in Anand Vihar, Delhi, which falls in the "very poor" category. In view of this serious situation, the Delhi government has started taking active steps. Chief Minister Atishi and Environment Minister Gopal Rai visited Anand Vihar and took stock of the measures to deal with pollution.Steps being taken to control pollutionDuring her visit, Chief Minister Atishi said that many strict steps are being taken to deal with pollution in Delhi. She informed that 99 teams have been formed to monitor dust control in Delhi, which are visiting construction sites and checking dust control measures. Apart from this, the deployment of more than 325 anti-smog guns has also started, which will work to reduce the dust and pollution spread in the air.Atishi also said that continuous work is being done to identify the main sources of pollution in Delhi and control them. Be it PWD or MCD, all departments are making efforts to stop pollution by using their sources. Anand Vihar, which is located on the border of Delhi and UP, is one of the most polluted areas. A large number of buses coming from outside Delhi are the main reason here, which further increases the level of pollution.Talks will be held with the UP governmentThe Chief Minister said that one of the main causes of pollution in Anand Vihar is the diesel buses coming from UP. He told that we will talk to the UP government on this issue so that the smoke coming out of the buses can be controlled. Apart from this, steps like repairing the roads of the area and removing encroachments at crowded places have also been taken.When asked about the water pollution caused during Chhath Puja, he expressed concern over the untreated waste being released into the Yamuna from Haryana and UP. Atishi said, "We are not blaming anyone, but it is true that waste is being dumped in the Yamuna, causing water pollution."Environment Minister Gopal Rai's reactionEnvironment Minister Gopal Rai also stressed the seriousness of the situation, saying that Delhi's pollution level is currently in the "poor" category, but in Anand Vihar, the level has been in a very bad state for the last 4-5 days. He said that pollution has doubled due to diesel buses coming from UP and appealed to the UP government to spray water at the Kaushambi bus depot.Attack on BJP and opposition's reactionTaking aim at the BJP on the issue of water pollution in the Yamuna, Gopal Rai said that the BJP creates problems and then shows off by making videos. He said, "Our job is to clean it, and we are preparing for Chhath Puja." Rai also spoke of a cleanliness drive in the Kalindi Kunj area and planned to work towards cleaning the waste coming from UP.However, BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal hit back at the Delhi government, saying that controlling pollution is the responsibility of the state government. Khandelwal said, "Gopal Rai and Arvind Kejriwal should tell what steps they took to tackle pollution in the last 9 years. Now that the elections are near, they are blaming UP and Haryana in desperation."ConclusionThe increasing pollution in Delhi is not only a threat to health, but it is also becoming a major political issue. The Delhi government has taken several steps to tackle pollution, but amid the allegations of the opposition and political squabbles, finding a permanent solution to this problem remains a challenge. Now it remains to be seen how effective the steps taken by the government prove to be, and whether this will provide clean air to the residents of Delhi.
#WATCH | Delhi: CM Atishi and Environment Minister Gopal Rai inspect Anand Vihar hotspot.
— ANI (@ANI) October 20, 2024
The AQI of Anand Vihar was recorded at 445, in the 'Severe' category as per the Central Pollution Control Board pic.twitter.com/Lo29y5mlf8