Changing direction of winds worsens pollution in Capital
but the area has seen worse days with levels closer to the critical 500 mark.
Delhiites found it easier to breathe in September despite the month witnessing its driest spell in five years. A short spell of rain in the middle of the month had helped improve air quality by bringing down pollution levels.
But long, dry spells in the upcoming winter may make it difficult for the city to get rid of particulate matter that can severely damage lung tissues and result in breathing problems. In fact, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has indicated that the situation may be worse than last year as authorities are yet to take any significant steps to improve air quality.
A change in wind patterns from easterly to westerly effected by a change in seasons and illegal crop burning in Punjab and Haryana may compound the problem. NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday sought lowering the age bar to 15 years for prosecuting suspected juvenile rapists as adults and recommended death penalty or life imprisonment for those found guilty of raping children.
He suggested stringent measures against rapists after the city was rocked by three incidents of child rape in the past week, triggering a blame game among the Aam Aadmi Party government, Delhi Police and opposition parties on safety of women and children in the national Capital.
“Rapists know nothing will happen to them. I don’t think all the bad people live only in Delhi and that people living in places like Kolkata, New York, London or Varanasi are saints. It is just that the fear of law is not there in Delhi,” Kejriwal told reporters after a meeting of his cabinet.
Existing laws say no suspected offender below the age of 18 can be prosecuted as adult for even heinous crimes such as rape.
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