The Delhi government will work on its summer action plan for controlling air pollution in the national capital from June 15 to September 15, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Thursday.
The city government has come up with a summer action plan, which will mainly focus on tree plantation, Rai said at a press conference.
"We held a meeting on Thursday in which 30 departments participated. The focus of the summer action plan will be on tree plantation. From June 15 to September 15, the government will work by focusing on 12 key points of the summer action plan," he said, adding that the greening agencies have been directed to prepare their action plans.
Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) fluctuated between 'moderate' and 'poor' during May 24 to June 12, Rai said and added that dust particles play an important role in summer pollution.
All the agencies will jointly run an anti-dust campaign from June 15 to June 30. For this, 580 patrolling teams will go on inspections and monitor if dust control measures at construction sites are being followed, he said.
The 12 key points are tree plantation, tree transplantation policy, dust pollution, open burning of garbage, industrial pollution, development of city forests, development of lakes/ponds/water bodies of Delhi, development of parks (green parks), e-waste eco park, eco club activity, solid waste management, and dialogue with neighbouring states.
"There has been a lot of improvement in the pollution level of Delhi which is the result of the hard work of the people of Delhi. To bring further improvement, the Delhi government will effectively implement the summer action plan, along with the people," Rai said.
"Under this, strict steps will be taken to prevent dust pollution, open burning and industrial pollution. Other steps, including increasing green cover, development of lakes and dialogue with neighbouring states will also be taken up," he added.
There has been an increase in the number of 'good', 'satisfactory' and 'moderate' category days, rising from 159 in 2018 to 206 in 2023, he said, adding that the pollution level has come down by 30 per cent in the last eight years.
Announcing the summer action plan, the minister said some immediate steps and several long-term measures will be undertaken.
"A total of 85 mechanical road sweeping machines and 276 water sprinklers will be deployed to prevent dust pollution. Hotspot action plan will be implemented in all 13 identified hotspots and air pollution sources will be redressed," he said.
"To prevent open burning of garbage, 573 patrolling teams of 1,269 personnel will be on monitoring duty. A total of 235 teams of 525 personnel will patrol at night and 338 teams of 694 personnel will patrol during the day," he said.
Similarly, 33 teams of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee and the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation have been deployed to monitor illegal dumping of waste in industrial areas.
A plan is being prepared to deal with industrial waste. Regular lifting of waste from industrial areas and its proper disposal is being ensured, Rai said.
An e-waste eco park is being built to prevent pollution caused by e-waste garbage. The work of its management and establishment will be expedited, he said.
Eco clubs are running in 2,000 schools and colleges of Delhi. The target has been set to run awareness campaigns in eco clubs. A core team of 10-20 eco club teachers is also being formed from active eco club schools/colleges, he added.
In May 2023, the Delhi government launched an action plan to combat air pollution during the summer months with a focus on controlling dust pollution.
