PMO holds meeting to address deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR

New Delhi: As the winter season is approaching Dr. P. K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, chaired a High-Level Task Force meeting to assess the readiness of stakeholders in addressing the issue of deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR.

As per PMO statement, the meeting focused on evaluating ongoing efforts to tackle pollution from various sources, including paddy stubble burning, vehicular emissions, road and construction dust, solid waste management.

During the meeting Dr. Mishra emphasized the critical importance of strict and timely implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) by all relevant agencies to mitigate worsening air quality during the winter months.

Dr. Mishra instructed Chief Secretaries of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh to rigorously monitor and implement action plans aimed at eliminating stubble burning as committed in their action plans.

Principal Secretary also requested Chief Secretary’s of NCR region states to augment their e-Bus services in the region. PM eBus Sewa Scheme aims to increase the e-Buses in our country by 10,000 e-Buses.

He also emphasized on the importance of Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam program and its sentimental value for every individual should be used in greening the City.

Regarding industrial pollution, Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) informed that 220 out of 240 industrial areas in the NCR region are now equipped with gas infrastructure, with the remaining areas set to be connected soon.

In the Meeting, Chairman, Rajesh Verma of (CAQM) presented details on the upcoming paddy straw generation, estimating 19.52 million tonnes in Punjab and 8.10 million tonnes in Haryana.

Both states have committed to eliminating stubble burning this year. Punjab plans to manage 11.5 million tonnes of its paddy straw through in-situ crop residue management and the rest via ex-situ methods.

Haryana will similarly manage 3.3 million tonnes in-situ and use ex-situ methods for the remainder. In addition, 2 million tonnes of paddy straw will be co-fired in 11 thermal power plants across the NCR region.

According to Decision Support System (DSS), which has resumed functioning for the upcoming winter season, indicated that the contribution of the transport sector to Delhi’s air pollution is estimated to be around 16% and 13% on Monday and Tuesday.

According to DSS, the emissions from Gurgaon, Faridabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar are expected to be around 8.2%, 10% and 6%, respectively, in Delhi’s air on Tuesday.

Among the sources impacting Delhi’s air quality, the city’s transport sector is currently the top contributor.