• UGI USER
  • Oct 03, 2023
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Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal unveils 15-point winter action plan

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  • GS Paper 3 Environment and Ecology.
  • Tags: #15-PointWinterActionPlan #Pollutants #AirQuality

 

Why in the news?

 Recently, the Delhi Government announced a 15-point action plan to deal with air pollution during winter.

POLLUTANT SOURCE CONDITIONS
Particulate matter Traffic Summer and winter
Forest fires
Wood smoke
Infiltrates indoors
Ultrafine particulate matter (< 0.1 μm in diameter) Diesel traffic Close to busy roads
Ozone Secondary to aero-chemical reaction to nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds Summer afternoons; heat and sunshine
Nitrogen dioxide Traffic Close to busy roads
Carbon monoxide Traffic Close to busy roads
Sulfur dioxide Industrial plants—combustion and refining of coal, oil, and metal-containing ores Close to industrial sources
Gasoline, although sulfur content has recently been reduced

 

Reasons of Air Pollution in Delhi 

  • Burning of crop stubble: Burning of crop stubble in surrounding Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan increases concentration of pollutants in air.
  • Stagnant Wind: As the winter season sets in, dust particles and pollutants in the air become unable to move.
    • Due to stagnant winds, these pollutants get locked in the air and affect weather conditions, resulting in smog.
  • Overpopulation: Another reason of air-pollution is overpopulation in the capital. Over-population only adds up to the various types of pollution, whether it is air pollution or noise pollution.
  • Poor Public Infrastructure: Investing less on public infrastructure is another reason for air pollution.
    • In India, investment in public transport —and infrastructure is low which leads to congested roads, and hence air pollution.
    • Industrial pollution and garbage dumps are also increasing air pollution and building-up smog in the air.
  • Fire-Crackers: Despite the ban on cracker sales, firecrackers were a common sight this Diwali.

Key Features of the 15-Point Winter Action Plan

  • Monitoring of Construction sites: The government has formed 591 teams to monitor construction sites, a big source of dust.
  • Comprehensive Plan Involving Departments: The plan, which involves 28 departments including environment, transport, traffic police, municipal bodies, and other agencies to check pollution, has been prepared based on reports and suggestions from these departments.
  • Controlling Stubble Burning: The plan announced includes several focus areas, including controlling stubble burning, vehicular pollution, open burning, and dust pollution.
    • Bio-decomposer will be utilized in the five thousand acres to curb the practice of stubble burning.
  • Checking open garbage burning: It also calls for the formation of special teams to enforce some of the existing bans, such as the one on open garbage burning.
  • Identification of Pollution Hotspots: The government has identified 13 high pollution level hot-spots and made special action plans for each hotspot.
  • Dust- Free Roads: In order to maintain dust-free roads, a total of 82 mechanical road sweeping machines and 530 water sprinkling machines will be deployed.
    • During the winter season, 298 smog guns will be in operation on Delhi’s roads.
  • Graded Response Action (GRAP): Strict implementation of Graded Response Action (GRAP) in Delhi, utilizing advance forecasts from the Central Government and Commission for Air Quality Management to control pollution.
  • Green War Room: A Green War Room for round-the-clock monitoring, analyzing the daily actions of all agencies, and formulating plans for the next day has been established
  • Eco-e-waste park: An eco-e-waste park is being built, with a consultant appointed to expedite its construction.
  • Public Awareness Campaign: A plan to launch public awareness campaigns, including ‘Run Against Pollution,’ ‘Red Light On, Gaadi Off,’ to combat pollution.
  • Establishing a super site: A real-time source apportionment study in collaboration with IIT Delhi and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, establishing a super site at Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya for targeted action.
  • Cooperation with Neighboring states: Neighboring states to reduce pollution in Delhi by allowing CNG-based vehicles, transitioning industries to PNG, transforming brick kilns, and banning firecrackers.
  • Enhancing Green Cover: Plans to plant 1 crore new saplings to increase green cover in the city.
  • Industries will use non-polluting fuel.

Action Plans for Improvement of Air Quality

  1. The Central Government has launched National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) under the Central Sector “Control of Pollution” Scheme as a long-term, time-bound, national level strategy to tackle the air pollution problem across the country in a comprehensive manner with targets to achieve 20 % to 30 % reduction in PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations by 2024 keeping 2017 as the base year for the comparison of concentration.102 non-attainment cities mostly in Indo-Gangetic Plains have been identified based on ambient air quality data for the period 2011 – 2015 and WHO report 2014/2018. The city specific Action Plans have been approved for all 102 non-attainment cities for implementation on ground.
  2. The Central Government has notified a Comprehensive Action Plan (CAP) in 2018 identifying timelines and implementing agencies for actions identified for prevention, control and mitigation of air pollution in Delhi and NCR.
  3. Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) was notified on January 12, 2017, for prevention,            control and abatement of air pollution in Delhi and NCR. It identifies graded measures and implementing agencies for response to four AQI categories, namely, Moderate to Poor, Very Poor, Severe and Severe + or Emergency.

 (b) Several steps have been taken for creating awareness amongst the general population. These steps are as follows.

 

  • SAMEER app has been launched wherein air quality information is available to public along with provision for registering complaints against air polluting activities.
  • Air quality information collection and dissemination are done from a centralized location. It provides real time air quality status to all stakeholders.
  • A dedicated media corner, Twitter and Facebook accounts have been created for access to air quality related information and to provide a platform for lodging complaints by general population.
  • Crowd sourcing of innovative ideas/ suggestions/proposals from public is done through CPCB website to strengthen efforts for improving air quality in Delhi-NCR.
  • The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is implementing Environment Education, Awareness and Training Scheme with the objective to promote environmental awareness among all sections of the society and to mobilize people’s participation for conservation of environment. Under the National Green Corps (NGC) programme of the Ministry, about one lakh schools have been identified as Eco-clubs, wherein, nearly thirty lakh students are actively participating in various environment protection and conservation activities, including the issues related to the air pollution.
  • The Ministry is promoting peoples participation and awareness building among citizens for environmental conservation that focus on the promotion of cycling, saving water and electricity, growing trees, proper maintenance of vehicles, following of lane discipline and reducing congestion on roads by carpooling etc.
  • For field feedback on air polluting activities in Delhi and major NCR towns, 46 teams of the Central Pollution Control Board have been deployed since October 7, 2019.

Source: The Hindu

Mains Question

What are the reasons and costs of rising air pollution in Delhi? Enumerate the measures taken by the government in this direction and their efficacy.