Health emergency in Delhi; schools shut till Nov 5

Women walk in front of India's Presidential Palace on a smoggy morning in New Delhi, India, October 27, 2019. REUTERS Photo

New Delhi, November 1 (ANI): As the air quality in Delhi-NCR dipped further and entered the ‘emergency’ category on Friday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday announced that all schools in the national capital will remain closed till November 5.

"The level of pollution has increased in Delhi due to the smoke of stubble burning. Therefore, the government has decided that all the schools in Delhi will remain closed till November 5," he tweeted.

North Municipal Corporations of Delhi had already announced that schools under its purview will remain closed till November 5.

Holidays have been declared by South MCD and East MCD schools till November 4 and the situation of air pollution will be reviewed on November 5.

Earlier in the day, the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority declared a public health emergency stating that the air quality in Delhi NCR is now at severe+ level and it has become "hazardous" and will have adverse health impacts on all, particularly the children.

It also prohibited construction activities in Delhi-NCR till the morning of November 5, 2019, and cracker bursting has been completely banned for the entire winter period.

On Friday, people residing in the national capital and its nearby areas such as Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Noida are forced to breath hazardous air as Air Quality Index has reached 533, which falls in the severe category, according to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research.

According to SAFAR, the overall AQI of Delhi continues to be in the severe category for the fourth consecutive day. "The calm surface wind condition that prevails last two days over Delhi has led to strong surface nocturnal inversion and accumulation of pollutants."

Earlier during an event to distribute pollution masks, Kejriwal had urged school children to write letters to the chief ministers of Punjab and Haryana urging to take requisite actions against stubble burning to curb the menace of air pollution in the national capital.

He blamed that the smoke emanating from crop residue burning in the two states causes pollution in Delhi.

The Delhi chief minister also distributed anti-pollution masks to the school children as a part of the government plan to protect the children from air pollution.

In the wake of pollution, the Delhi CM had in September announced the third season of the odd-even vehicle scheme will come into effect for 12 days starting November 4 in Delhi.

Javadekar slams Kejriwal for blame game on Delhi pollution

New Delhi, Nov 1 (IANS) Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on Friday slammed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for politicising the issue of air pollution in Delhi and indulging in a blame game by blaming everybody, including neighbouring states and the Centre.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday called Delhi a gas chamber due to high crop burning incidents. "Delhi has turned into a gas chamber due to smoke from crop burning in neighbouring states. It is very important that we protect ourselves from this toxic air", he said in a tweet.

Speaking at an event, Javadekar said the Delhi CM is doing politics on Delhi's pollution and blaming Punjab, Haryana for stubble burning.

The Minister said that if the blame game starts, many hidden matters may get unearthed. Instead of blaming others, the efforts should be on cooperation among all to provide relief to the people, he said.

Citing Delhi government's attitude, Javadekar said they never gave Rs 3,500 crore that the local government was supposed to contribute to the construction of eastern peripheral expressway and bypass in the vicinity of Delhi. Finally, the court had to intervene and asked them to deposit Rs 1000 crore for the project.

Javadekar said this project which was hanging on for 15 years, and was completed only by the Modi government in 5 years.

This project, he said, will relieve Delhi of the burden of 60,000 trucks which did not otherwise have to pass through the city resulting in reducing of pollution.

He said all stakeholders - government, industry and farmers need to come together on the issue of pollution to provide relief to the people.

Kejriwal distributes 50 lakh masks among school goers

New Delhi, Nov 1 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday distributed anti-pollution masks to school-going children in the Capital, on a day the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) declared a public health emergency in Delhi-NCR.

The EPCA advised residents, especially children and the aged, to reduce exposure to hazardous air.

The Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi claims to have distributed about 50 lakh anti-pollution masks among the schoolgoing children on Friday.

"Delhi has turned into a gas chamber due to smoke from crop burning in neighbouring states. It is very important that we protect ourselves from this toxic air. Through private & government schools, we have started distributing 50 lakh masks today," Kejriwal tweeted after distributing masks among the students.

"I urge all Delhiites to use them whenever needed," he added.

Earlier in the day, the EPCA had asked the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to issue advisories asking public to minimise exposure to surroundings and take other measures to curb the challenging levels of pollution.

"Schools are advised to work to minimise exposure of children by curtailing all outdoor activities and sports for this period," EPCA said.

Delhi has announced closure of all schools till November 5. Other NCR cities may also follow suit.

The EPCA said the air quality of Delhi-NCR has deteriorated since Thursday and is now at the 'severe plus' category. "People are advised to ensure that they minimise personal exposure as far as possible, avoid physical exercises in the open till pollution levels are reduced and in particular minimise the exposure of children, the aged and vulnerable," it said.

EPCA Chairman Bhure Lal said in a letter to Chief Secretaries of the four states: "We have to take this as a public health emergency as air pollution is now hazardous and will have adverse health impacts on all, but particularly our children".

The EPC has directed that all construction activities in Delhi, Faridabad, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Noida should remain completely shut till the morning of November 5. The current ban on construction was only from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Similarly, hot-mix plants and stone crushers will also be completely shut. All coal and other fuel-based industries, which have not shifted to natural gas or agro-residue, will also remain closed.

Cracker bursting has been completely banned for this entire winter period. "We note that there are festivals coming and given the experience over Diwali, when in spite of all efforts, cracker burning was extremely high and led to accumulation of toxins in the air, this measure is needed," Bhure Lal said.

The EPCA has also told the states that it is imperative to take urgent steps to stop local sources of pollution, as this will only add to the already polluted air.

"This requires stringent vigilance and punitive action against all cases of local pollution, from plastic and garbage burning to dust pollution. I am also constrained to say that in spite of all our efforts, there are still many instances of local pollution and therefore, enforcement needs to be stepped up further," Bhure Lal told the state authorities, indicating that despite measures, implementation will be the key.

"The IMD informs us that the weather will improve in the next few days, but it is difficult to say if this improvement will lead to substantial reduction in pollution," EPCA told the states.