NEW DELHI
Delhi is infamous for being one of the most polluted cities in the world. The winter season, which begins in October, is said to be when the situation is at its most dire. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal unveiled a 15-point winter action plan on Friday.
According to media reports, stubble burning cases are rising in the neighbouring states; the current data indicates that Haryana has recorded 12,400 and 3,000 stubble-burning cases so far. To deal with this, this year’s action plan includes measures taken to prevent stubble burning in the city, the CM said, “We have been using a bio-decomposer made by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa. The bio-decomposer will be used on over 5,000 acres of farmland this year,” he added.
The bio-decomposer is a microbial liquid spray that, when sprayed onto paddy stubble, breaks it down in a way that can be easily absorbed into the soil, whereby farmers then have no need to burn the stubble.
The process of decomposing takes up to three weeks, which is the window between paddy harvesting and the sowing of the next crop. The current winter plan stated that the decomposer would be sprayed on only 5,000 acres (2,000 hectares), but if we only took Punjab, the paddy and basmati would have been transplanted on over 75 lakh acres (30 lakh hectares) in the state, said expert
Thrice, the CM said that between 2014 and 2022, the city’s PM2.5 and PM10 levels decreased by around 30%, significantly improving the air quality. Particulate matter 2.5 and PM10 (PM2.5 and PM10) are tiny, inhalable particles that can enter the bloodstream and cause a number of respiratory and other illnesses by entering the lungs.
The government has also identified 13 pollution hotspots and specific action plans have been prepared for each, the CM said. A war room has been created, 13 special teams have been formed to check the implementation of the action plans, and 611 teams have been formed to implement the existing ban on burning garbage in the open. To control dust pollution on roads, 82 mechanical road sweeping machines, 530 water sprinkling machines, and 258 anti-smog guns will be deployed during the winter,” he also said.
Responding to the action plan, Dr Sagnik Dey, researcher, said, “The plan is good, but its effectiveness will depend on successful cooperation by citizens. We need policy and technological interventions in a sustainable manner supported by behavioral changes of each individual. There is a decline in pollution levels, more in the summer than in the winter.”