New Delhi [India], November 11 : Delhi Minister Ashish Sood on Tuesday said stubble burning in neighbouring states and climate change are the key factors behind pollution in the national capital.
Speaking to reporters, after a high-level meeting on air pollution at Delhi Secretariat, Sood said dust pollution and vehicular traffic in Delhi were also discussed in detail.
"The factors responsible for pollution in Delhi are stubble burning in the neighbouring states, incidents occurring in the neighbouring states and climate change. Along with this, Delhi's dust pollution and vehicle traffic--detailed discussions were held in the meeting on all these subjects," he said.
"Our government is committed to stopping pollution in the coming times. Along with the implementation of GRAP III, there is a provision for hybrid learning in primary classes; immediate action will be taken on this," the minister added.
With air quality in the national capital deteriorating sharply, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Tuesday invoked Stage III curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across the entire National Capital Region (NCR), categorising Delhi's air as the 'Severe' category.
The sub-committee of CAQM invoked the measures after the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi surged from 362 on Monday to 425 on Tuesday morning, citing calm winds, a stable atmosphere, and unfavourable meteorological conditions as key factors behind the sudden spike.
"Keeping in view the prevailing trend of air quality, the Sub-Committee today has taken the call to invoke all actions as envisaged under Stage-III of the extant GRAP -'Severe' Air Quality (DELHI AQI ranging between 401-450), with immediate effect, in the entire NCR. This is in addition to the actions under Stages I & II of extant GRAP already in force in NCR," CAQM said.
Meanwhile, Delhi AAP President Saurabh Bharadwaj has accused the Chief Minister Rekha Gupta-led Delhi government of manipulating air quality data amid rising pollution levels in the capital and across North India.
Alleging "deception and data tampering," Bharadwaj claimed that AQI monitoring stations are shut down or surrounded by artificial spraying when pollution spikes, asserting that "the government's intention is not to reduce pollution, but to reduce its figures."
"The government's intention is not to reduce pollution but to reduce its figures," Bharadwaj said.