Delhi Pollution Situation 'Extremely Worrying': LG V K Saxena Calls Urgent Meeting With CM Kejriwal

The meeting is scheduled to be held at 6:00 p.m. today.

Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena. ( Image Source :PTI )

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has expressed grave worry over the city's deteriorating air pollution and has requested an immediate meeting with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Environment Minister Gopal Rai. The meeting is scheduled to be held at 6:00 p.m. today. Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), LG stated: "The situation arising out of air pollution in the City is extremely worrying. I have asked Hon'ble CM & Hon'ble Minister (Environment) for a meeting at Raj Niwas at 06:00 PM today, to take stock of the situation."

"I appeal to the people to remain indoors as much as possible and to not expose themselves- especially children & elderly to hazardous ambient conditions wherein AQI has reportedly crossed 800 at places," he further stated. 

I appeal to the people to remain indoors as much as possible and to not expose themselves- especially children & elderly to hazardous ambient conditions wherein AQI has reportedly crossed 800 at places.

— LG Delhi (@LtGovDelhi) November 3, 2023

Blaming AAP for Delhi pollution, Senior BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia stated: "Last year, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal talked about his responsibility in tackling air pollution and sought a year to control the problem of air pollution. Now, he should answer the people regarding what he said last year and should not run away the way he did from ED summons."

VIDEO | "Last year, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal talked about his responsibility in tackling air pollution and sought a year to control the problem of air pollution. Now, he should answer the people regarding what he said last year and should not run away the way he did from ED… pic.twitter.com/GQBLXr8tP9

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 3, 2023

Meanwhile, AAP Haryana president Dr Sushil Gupta blamed the state government for not fulfiling its promise of stopping the stubble burning. "The Haryana government had said that stubble burning will be stopped completely in the state. However, their claims have failed totally. They have wasted crores on this. Farmers of Haryana are compelled to burn stubble because the state government is not giving any subsidy on stubble (parali)," he stated.

VIDEO | "The Haryana government had said that stubble burning will be stopped completely in the state. However, their claims have failed totally. They have wasted crores on this. Farmers of Haryana are compelled to burn stubble because the state government is not giving any… pic.twitter.com/jlS3mpCctA

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 3, 2023

In recent days, the national capital has been dealing with decreasing air quality, with levels of PM2.5 and PM10 particulate matter exceeding dangerous levels, generating major health concerns for citizens. Factors such as stubble burning in surrounding states, traffic emissions, and unfavourable weather conditions have worsened the problem, resulting in poor air quality and visibility concerns.

New Delhi topped a real-time list of the world's most polluted cities produced by Swiss organisation IQAir on Friday, with an AQI of 640 in the "hazardous" category. According to IQAir, the concentration of dangerous PM2.5 particles (less than 2.5 microns in diameter) in New Delhi on Friday was 53.4 times the World Health Organization's yearly air quality guideline value.

The pollution control panel stopped non-essential building and demolition activities in the national capital region on Thursday, as the AQI hit the'severe' category, with no quick respite in sight owing to "extremely unfavourable meteorological and climatic conditions."

On Friday morning, the air quality dropped to the'severe plus' level. This might lead to authorities enacting emergency measures under Stage 4 of the graded action response plan (GRAP), such as a ban on polluting vehicles, commercial four-wheelers, and all sorts of building.