Clean air now, government must prepare for winter woes next

New Indian Express

3 days ago

When rains come, winters are not very far away. Delhi government is applauding its efforts of securing 'cleanest and coolest' July in nine yearswith an average Air Quality Index of 79. This improvement is largely attributable to consistent monsoon showers that have effectively washed away pollutants, leading to AQI levels dropping below 50 in many areas, categorizing the air quality as 'very good'. The bigger question is whether they would be 'securing' Delhi air when winter dawns.
The annual winter crisis is caused by various factors including stubble burning in neighbouring states, vehicular emissions, industrial pollutants, and unfavourable meteorological conditions that trap pollutants close to the ground.
For the past few years, the BJP-led Centre has repeatedly pointed, and rightly so, at a lacklustre Arvind Kejriwal government for turning the national Capital into a gas chamber during the winter months. The value edition to this claim was done by equally indifferent attitude of the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government in addressing air pollution in the national Capital.
The two Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led state governments to defend their incompetence laid blame, rightly or wrongly, at the doors of the BJP-led Haryana government for turning Delhi into one of the most polluted city globally. Then Haryana had claimed that how was it responsible for the polluted air blowing from Punjab to Delhi.
So discredited have been the Kejriwal and Mann governments about their intent to solve the matter that Haryana government's claim was taken on the face value.However, now it has been revealed that none of the AQI measurement units in Haryana including in upmarket townships like Gurgaon and Faridabad, both falling in Nation Capital Region (NCR), are functioning. This is reflective of the lackadaisical attitude of Haryana government on this matter.