The Delhi Government on Monday appealed to the Central Government to analyse bio-decomposer as an alternative to tackle the issue of stubble burning in the neighbouring States of Delhi, saying that the share of farm fires in Delhi's pollution has soared to 40 per cent.
Launching the 'Red Light On, Gaadi Off' campaign in all the 272 wards in Delhi, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said collective action on ground is required to counter the effects of pollution in Delhi.
“Stubble burning in neighbouring States is behind the 40 per cent pollution in the national Capital. The Delhi Government is combating internal sources of pollution in the capital through the initiatives such as 'Red Light On, Gaadi Off,” he said.
According to the Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality monitor, SAFAR, the share of stubble burning in Delhi's pollution rose to 40 per cent on Sunday, the maximum so far this season. It was 32 per cent on Saturday, 19 per cent on Friday and 36 per cent on Thursday, the second highest this season so far.
“Pollution is not defined by state boundaries but by air sets. It has an air set of around 300 kms, which means pollution will affect the radius of 300 kms. People are being ignorant of this fact. In order to combat pollution, there is a requirement for action to be implemented on the ground. Collective effort is required to deal with this issue," he said.
On the issue of ban of crackers by Rajasthan, Rai said, “Pollution is defined by the air set. Individual effort is not enough to fight pollution. There is a need to implement collective action. All ministers need to take cognizance of this fact. In Delhi, it was repeatedly being said that the rising pollution level is due to stubble burning in neighbouring states, and the response we received from the central government and states was that there is no alternative to stubble burning.
"In Delhi, we have used the bio decomposer developed by Pusa Research Institute. The report of the same has been extremely positive. On November 4, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will be inspecting the ground reality at Hiranki. We want to tell the states and the central government that there is no cheaper alternative than this for stubble burning. We request them to physically witness the bio decomposer at work," he added.
Addressing the media at Chandgi ram akhara, he further said, "To curb rising pollution levels, an initiative the “Yuddh, Pradhushan ke Viruddh” campaign was launched on October 5.”
Under this umbrella campaign, initiatives to combat pollution caused by dust, stubble burning or vehicles were launched, he said, adding that anti-dust drive was also launched under this campaign. The campaign is being implemented within Delhi till November 15.
"We have always maintained that we will do everything in our capacity to make sure pollution is contained, but we cannot do anything to stop the toxic haze from stubble burning to pollute the city. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar says stubble burning contributes 4 -6 per cent whereas the statistics clearly state 40 per cent contribution," said Rai.
The Minister further said that Delhiites are working hard day and night to curb pollution levels. “Stubble burning is the biggest contributor of pollution in Delhi especially ahead of Diwali season. I request the Central government to take some action rather than just making a commission, because pollution combined with the current pandemic can cause catastrophic consequences for the people of Delhi," he added.
