Delhi pollution levels spike, Kejriwal disputes reports
NEW DELHI: The national capital was on Wednesday shrouded in a grey haze as air quality plunged with increasing burning of crop stubble by farmers in neighbouring regions.
The air quality in parts of Delhi have touched the levels of ‘severe’ and ‘very poor’ since Tuesday, the first time this season.
Government-run monitoring stations showed levels of PM10, or suspended particles smaller than 10 micrometres, more than 10 times over the World Health Organization’s safe limit.
Delhi, a city with a population of 25 million, has been ranked among the most polluted cities in the world in recent years.
The pollution usually peaks in October-november, when certain wind patterns and the burning of crop stubble combine with vehicle and industrial emissions and dust from building sites.
The Delhi government’s graded emergency action plan came into force on Tuesday. Use of diesel generators has been banned and spraying water on roads has started.
Rejecting the reports published by multiple agencies, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday termed the reports ‘misleading’.
The Chief Minister raised questions on the basis of the analysis saying, “What is the basis of this? Real time source apportionment of pollution machines can only tell us what contributes to how much pollution and the Delhi government is trying to procure it.
“No one in India has that machine yet, so the reports can not be believed. These agencies should refrain from misleading people. These are very sensitive information and these agencies which are giving these details should act responsibly,” Kejriwal said while answering a question during his press conference at the Aam Aadmi Party’s office here.
The Chief Minister who has been taking credit for the low pollution levels in the capital during the last few months, went ahead to claim that no local pollutants have increased or decreased in the last few months and the sudden spike in pollution in the last one week is only due to external factors.