Smog Alert Live | Delhi Schools Will Shut for 3 Days: CM Kejriwal
Delhi continues to choke on toxic air.
- The Delhi Chief Minister has directed to halt all construction work in the city for the next five days.
- He further stated that the government might reintroduce the odd-even program to bring down the pollution levels.
- Centre will convene a meeting with the environment ministers of neighbouring states on Monday.
The apocalypse-like situation continues to plague the city due to alarming spike in pollution level.
The Centre has called a meeting of environment ministers of all neighbouring states on Monday to curb stubble burning by farmers which has made Delhi a “gas chamber”.
As a blanket of haze continued to cover the city with pollution level remaining very high and breaching the safe limit by over 17 times at several places.
Noida DM Announces Emergency Steps
Gautam Buddha Nagar District Magistrate (DM) NP Singh announced emergency steps in view of the "unprecedented" air pollution levels in the National Capital Region (NCR).
Singh has announced two days off for the nursery, class 1 and class 2 students of lower primary schools. For the rest, classes will be held from 9 am to 1 pm. In addition, all outdoor activities have been suspended in these schools during this period.
Other measures included suspension of mining and construction activities such as earth-digging etc. The Transport department has been directed to check the pollution certificates of vehicles as well.
Authorities have been directed to sprinkle water on the streets regularly. To prevent and check the ill-effects on health due to the the smog, the DM has appealed to the residents to avoid morning walks and restrict outdoor activities as much as possible.
#LetsSaveDelhi
Delhi residents are calling for collective action to curb the toxic situation haunting the city. While some are appealing to the country’s leaders to “save our future,” others are stressing on sustainable ideas that all individuals need to focus on.
Celebs Voice Concern
Joining in the chorus for immediate measures to improve the air quality in the city, Bollywood stars have voiced concern.
Situation in Delhi Calls For Emergency Measures: CM Kejriwal
Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday asserted that the worsening smog situation in Delhi calls for emergency measures, and there is need for the centre and state to work together, instead of politicising Delhi's pollution issue.
He further added that all schools will be closed for three days. However, RC Jain, chairperson of Delhi State Public Schools' Management Association, has stated that the schools will remain open.
Kejriwal has also stressed that no construction work will be allowed for five days in the national capital as part of steps to fight pollution. The Badarpur Thermal Power Plant (coal-based), one of the major sources of pollution in the city as identified by an IIT Kanpur study, will also be shut for the next ten days, the CM said.
Adding to the list of emergency measures, the Delhi CM added vacuum cleaning of roads will start from 10 November, but in the meantime, the government will start jet sprinkling them from Monday to bring the situation under control.
The AAP leader also announced a ban on the use of generator sets in the city, and also urged people to stay at home as much as they can, even asking them to work from home.
He also revealed that the government is mulling over bringing the odd-even program back as another measure to bring down the pollution levels in the city.
80% of Delhi’s Pollution Because of Garbage: Anil Madhav Dave
Adding to the the political blame game, India’s Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave on Sunday claimed that 80 percent of the pollution problem in Delhi is because of the garbage in the city. He further added that images obtained from ISRO’s satellites suggest that other states only contribute 20 percent to the problem at hand.
He further went on to lay the blame squarely on the AAP government as he said the centre had done all it could to help with the situation.
Choke Hazard!
There seems to be no sign of levels of pollutants PM 2.5 and PM 10 dipping anytime soon. According to IndiaSpend, south Delhi's Munirka area has PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels at 1000 micrograms per cubic metre (standard limit for both PM 2.5 and PM 10 is 50 micrograms per cubic meter). Whereas in Govindpuri, the levels have reached 975 (PM 2.5) and 881 (PM 10).
Citizens of Delhi Hold Protest at Jantar Mantar
CM Kejriwal Calls For Cabinet Meeting
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has called for an emergency cabinet meeting at his residence on Sunday afternoon over the poor air quality in the national capital, according to officials.
The meeting is likely to take place at 12:30pm and will be attended by all the cabinet ministers and senior officials of health and the environment department.
Crop Burning To Blame for Delhi’s Smog: Satyendra Jain
Senior AAP leader Satyendra Jain on Sunday said that crop-burning in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab is the main contributor to the worsening smog situation in Delhi.
He further added that the solution for the problem is to provide farmers with incentives to move away from burning crops.
However, he said that despite his assertions the Delhi government was not indulging in blame game over the issue of pollution in the national capital region.
Your 8-Point Guide to Surviving Delhi’s Deadly Pollution
Delhi is un-breathable at the moment. For the 5th day in a row, from the skies above to the ground below it’s a toxic grey haze.
The Quint brings to you our coping strategy for the awful Delhi pollution. Because let’s face it, with no political will, the 10 million people of Delhi are pretty much stuck and have to deal with the problem themselves.
Read The Quint’s 8-Point Guide here.
Penalty Imposed in 1,406 Cases of Stubble Burning in Haryana
Cracking the whip on farmers who continue to defy orders on burning paddy stubble, authorities in Haryana have initiated action against 1,406 violators, and recovered a fine of Rs 13.75 lakh so far.
Many farmers in Haryana and the neighbouring Punjab have continued with the practice, leading to health risks, and adversely affecting the soil's health.
Authorities revealed that fines were imposed on violators and an amount of Rs 13.75 lakh has been recovered so far.
Smog Alert! Ranji Match Cancelled
The severity of air pollution and dense smog cover in the capital has led to the cancellation of the Ranji Trophy encounter between Bengal and Gujarat at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium on the second day itself.
Both Bengal and Gujarat teams will be leaving Delhi tomorrow for Kolkata and Ahmedabad respectively.
Earlier in the day, Hyderabad and Tripura team members were seen practising at Karnail Singh Stadium with pollution masks on.
(With PTI, ANI inputs)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)