Chief Minister of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, which includes New Delhi, Atishi Marlena demanded that the central government of India immediately declare an emergency and take measures similar to those taken during the coronavirus pandemic. This was reported by The Indian Express newspaper.
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“Why doesn’t the Center declare a national emergency due to pollution? Not only Delhi faced a long period of [air] pollution, but the whole of North India. When there was a COVID pandemic, different states imposed different restrictions. It was a national health emergency, and there were national response measures have been taken,” the publication quotes the words of the head of the capital’s government.
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The politician called on the central authorities to “immediately intervene with a national response” to this problem.
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Marlena accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leadership of the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forestry of inaction. “There is neither a statement nor a press conference [on dirty air],” the chief minister of the Indian capital expressed dissatisfaction.
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Over the past week, several regions in the north of the country, especially those in the Indo-Gangetic Plain, have experienced unusually high levels of air pollution. Among the hardest hit was Delhi, where the average air quality index (AQI) reached 494 on Monday – the city’s worst daily average since 2019. This is despite the fact that air is considered “good” when the ACI is from 0 to 50, and “satisfactory” is from 51 to 100. A level of 151-200 is considered “moderately polluted”, 201-300 is considered “heavily polluted”, more than 300 is considered “moderately polluted”. dangerously contaminated.” The current state of the atmosphere in the Indian capital is classified as “extremely dangerous”.
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“I want to ask the central government to name one thing they have done to stop the stubble burning that pollutes this entire part of North India during the winter,” Marlena said.
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Air pollution occurs every fall after harvest in states neighboring the capital region. Farmers, despite the bans, massively burn tons of stubble and straw right in the fields. As a result, smoke and fumes cover the low-lying city. Delhi authorities are demanding that the central government take strong action against this method of clearing fields. According to Indian scientists, inhaling such air is equivalent to smoking 50 cigarettes a day.
