Delhi smog: Air quality may improve by Tuesday, says Skymet

New Delhi: The Environment Minister of India Anil Madhav Dave, on Tuesday, said that Delhi is 80 percent responsible for air pollution. Neighbouring states are only 20 percent responsible, he said. He said that the Centre is ready to help Delhi government and an emergency meeting has also been called of the neighbouring states. He also appealed that the politics over pollution must be buried. Meanwhile, Delhi residents, who are reeling under severe pollution since Diwali night, may find respite by Tuesday as strong winds are expected here in next 24-48 hours, which will improve the air quality, predicted private weather forecaster Skymet. Skymet Director Mahesh Palawat said strong winds from Punjab and Haryana will push the pollution away. "Due to adverse weather condition like slow wind speed, high humidity and low temperature, pollutants are hanging close to the surface. However, strong winds of about 15-20 kmph are expected from the northwest in next 24-48 hours, which will help in fast dispersal of pollutants from the air," Palawat said. "On Tuesday morning, people may find mist due to low temperature. However, pollution level will go down and visibility will increase later in the day." Thick smog have shrouded Delhi since last Sunday as levels of particulate matter - PM 2.5 and PM 10 - shot up to the maximum level of 500 across the national capital due to fire crackers, stubble burning in neighbouring states, dust from construction activities and vehicular traffic. Palawat added that air quality will improve further if strong winds continue for several more days, due to change in pressure in the Bay of Bengal. The development may cause rains in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, and increase in pollution levels in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, he said. He also noted that stubble burning by farmers in the neighbouring states, which has added heavily to the current pollution scenario, will be over in next few days, which will stop further addition of pollutants in the air. Palawat called the plan of artificial rains "infeasible" saying "there are no clouds to carry it out". The Delhi government on Sunday unveiled a slew of steps, including closure of all schools for three days, to battle unprecedented smog levels that have drastically cut visibility and turned the national capital into a virtual gas chamber. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also banned construction and demolition work for five days and the use of diesel-run generator sets for 10 days in a desperate bid to control a crisis that has choked Delhi. The school closure is aimed at preventing children from getting affected by the dangerous pollution levels which have forced people to use surgical masks while travelling in the city. But Kejriwal maintained that this was a larger problem involving neighbouring states, where farmers are said to be burning crop stubble in a wide area, and sought the central government's intervention. "This is the time to set aside politics and find a solution (to the problem)," Kejriwal said after presiding over an emergency meeting of his cabinet. "The base level of pollution was already very high. We have consulted experts and we are taking some emergency measures," the Aam Aadmi Party leader told reporters. Kejriwal said the coal-based thermal power plant at Badarpur in south Delhi, which generates fly ash, would be shut for 10 days. Water would be sprinkled on the fly ash scattered within the plant. Water would also be sprinkled on the city's roads on a large scale and vacuum cleaning would begin from November 10 in all 100-foot broad roads maintained by the Public Works Department (PWD), he added. With high levels of PM 2.5, Delhi's pollution crisis continues to be classified as "severe", with a blanket of smog covering the entire city as well as neighbouring states. Delhi's pollution levels worsened after Diwali on October 30. The dismal air quality has been attributed to low wind speed and high humidity which has blocked dispersal of pollutants. A private weather forecaster however said residents may find respite by Tuesday as strong winds are expected here in next 24-48 hours, which will improve the air quality. Skymet Director Mahesh Palawat said strong winds from Punjab and Haryana will push the pollution away, adding air quality will improve further if strong winds continue for several more days, due to change in pressure in the Bay of Bengal. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister announced that in order to do away with the dependence on generator sets, electricity connections would be given to whoever asks for them. Hospitals and emergency services can, however, use generator sets. He announced a strict enforcement of the ban on burning of trash and dry leaves, saying residents who see violations can report to the government on an app to be unveiled on Monday. And where this takes place, the sanitary inspector and other officers would be penalised. The municipal authorities have been told to bring under control the fire at the land fill sites in Delhi. Kejriwal also appealed to people to remain indoors as much as possible and said the odd-even transport system may make a comeback. "Please stay indoors and try to work from home as much as possible." Under the odd-even scheme, implemented twice earlier, vehicles with odd registration number would alone ply on odd dates and those with even registration number on even dates. The Delhi government was also analysing the possibility of inducing artificial rains to control pollution but this would need to be discussed with experts and the central government, Kejriwal said. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Sunday welcomed the emergency measures, but demanded their strict implementation along with long-term action including boosting public transport to fight pollution on a sustainable manner. CSE's executive director (Research and Advocacy) Anumita Roychowdhury also called for vehicle restraint measures including odd-even scheme and parking restraints' simultaneous implementation. Terming the smog situation in Delhi an environmental emergency, the Swaraj India party accused the Delhi and central governments of failing to tackle pollution. "Be it the Municipal Corporations of Delhi, the Delhi government or the Centre, none of the authorities have done justice to the tasks assigned to them, which would have led to control over pollution," said its President Yogendra Yadav.