Winter Action Plan launched to combat air pollution

New Delhi: Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday unveiled the city’s Winter Action Plan, featuring a range of measures including drone monitoring, an intensified anti-dust campaign, formation of task forces, road-sweeping machines and deployment of 200 mobile anti-smog guns to combat air pollution under the theme “Mil Kar Chale, Pradushan Se Lade”. In a bid to combat Delhi’s notorious winter pollution, the minister emphasised the collaborative effort between the government and people to tackle the problem, especially during winter when pollution levels typically spike.

Launching the Winter Action Plan, which is based on 21 key focus areas, Rai said, “This year, our theme is ‘Mil Kar Chale, Pradushan Se Lade’ (let’s fight against pollution together),” and added that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the national capital will start working on it from Wednesday itself. Speaking on the plan, Rai highlighted that pollution sources from the neighbouring NCR areas also have a significant impact on Delhi’s air quality.

He, however, noted that pollution levels within the capital have improved over the years. “In 2016, Delhi experienced 243 polluted days but last year, this number reduced to 159, marking a 34.6-per cent reduction in pollution,” he said, citing official reports.

The key points of the action plan include drone monitoring for pollution hotspots, a special task force, an anti-dust campaign, road sweeping and water sprinkling, awards for excellence, awareness campaigns, stubble-burning mitigation, a green war room and more, the minister said. Highlighting these points, Rai said the pollution hotspots will be monitored with the help of drones. “For the first time, drones will be used to monitor pollution hotspots in real time. Previously identified sources will now be tackled with greater precision,” he said. He added that a special six-member task force has been formed to oversee pollution levels and ensure immediate action at critical points across the city. The members of the task force include representatives from the transport department, environment department, revenue department, public works department (PWD), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the traffic police, Rai informed. The government will launch an anti-dust campaign from October 7, during which strict penalties will be imposed on violators.

All construction sites larger than 500 square metres must be registered on a designated website before this date, he said. The minister also mentioned that different activities will be organised as part of the awareness campaign.

Talking about the programme, he said special initiatives will include the “Harit Padyatra,” where participants will walk with plants on their heads to raise awareness about greenery. Additionally, an electric-vehicle parade and an anti-pollution march will be organised, along with the “Red Light On, Gadi Off” campaign, to curb vehicular emissions. During winter, Delhiites are the worst hit by air pollution as the air quality index (AQI) reaches “severe” categories at this time.

Taking note of this, Rai said the city will deploy 85 road-sweeping machines and 500 water-sprinkling vehicles to control dust on the roads. He added that mobile anti-smog guns will be used three times more frequently than last year.

In 2023, these machines were used once a day, but this year, these will be deployed thrice a day. “A ban on firecrackers will be implemented this year as well and once the notification is issued, the ban will be fully enforced. The GRAP (Graded Response Action Plan) stages will come into effect and 588 teams have been formed to control the open burning of garbage.

“We will encourage work from home and a voluntary reduction in the use of private vehicles. If necessary, the odd-even (road rationalisation) scheme will be implemented and artificial rain is also an option that we are exploring,” Rai said. The minister also mentioned that to encourage proactive pollution control, the government will introduce the “Harit Ratan Award”.

The award will be given to those, whether from the government, the private sector or organisations, who perform exceptionally well in reducing pollution. Additionally, with stubble burning being a major pollution contributor, bio-decomposers will be sprayed across 5,000 acres of farmland to minimise its harmful effects, Rai added. He also noted that a 360-member team has been formed to monitor vehicle emissions and ensure that older vehicles set to phase out are compliant with regulations.