Delhi’s Environment Minister Makes 5 Requests to Citizens as Air Pollution Worsens

Every mid-autumn, India’s capital witnesses rising air pollution levels, as massive stubble-burning by farmers takes place around this time. Generally, the stubble is set on fire twice a year – during the summer and when the winter season begins.

As Delhi is blanketed by smog, the city’s Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday made five requests to citizens in a bid to fight the increased air pollution.

This comes as the air quality in the Indian capital remains in the "very poor" category as the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of the city stood at 354 on Wednesday morning.

To improve the situation, Rai, an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lawmaker and minister, urged Delhiites to report construction activities and send pictures on the Green Delhi app if they witness any violations of the ban. Earlier, the Delhi gov't imposed a ban on both construction and demolition work in the capital.

Similarly, citizens were asked to report the burning of coal or wood and were advised to use electric heaters to fight the cold.

In addition, the minister suggested that Delhi residents should work from home to reduce traffic on the roads, or opt for carpooling.

Regarding the issue of stubble burning, Rai suggested that the responsibility does not lie with the state government, but rather the federal government has also to play a role to reduce it.

Earlier, the federally-governing BJP party criticized the AAP in Delhi for blaming Diwali celebrations for the increased pollution levels in the Indian capital. Instead, the BJP said the Delhi authorities should deal with the stubble burning to tackle the problem.

In response, Rai claimed that the BJP does "not understand the problem" and hailed his government’s efforts to curtail air pollution, claiming that Delhi is the only state which has a “winter action plan” ready for the season to tackle the problem.