Delhi’s worsening air quality prompts CAQM to invoke GRAP-III measures
At 4 pm on Thursday, Delhi's average AQI was 424, and to prevent further deterioration, the sub- committee decided to invoke GRAP - III.
Delhi Congress President Devender Yadav said on Wednesday that even as the pollution in the city has reached hazardous levels the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are indulging in a blame game on the issue unfazed by the woes of the people.
Yadav claimed that the residents are finding it difficult to venture out of their homes for fear of falling sick by breathing the toxic air.
“Had this situation been in any other country, they would have declared a health emergency, but the AAP and the BJP are busy blaming each other,” he added.
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The Congress leader added that the poisonous air is causing serious heart, respiratory, eye, and skin ailments among the people while the parents are forced to send their wards to schools under such circumstances as those in power only make excuses rather than finding a solution to the problem.
Criticising Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai for expressing satisfaction with the air quality and crediting it to the people after Diwali, he said, “In reality the AQI remained under ‘very poor’ category for 15 days before plunging into the ‘severe category’ on Wednesday.”
“Congress has been pointing out for many years that pollutants like dust from construction sites, vehicular emissions, dust from broken roads, fumes from the ill-planned waste-to-energy plants generated within the city are the major causes of air pollution, but Kejriwal tried to divert the narrative of the pollution by blaming stubble burning in neighbouring states,” he said.
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