Summer action plan to deal with Delhi pollution to be ready by April 24

The preparation of a summer and winter action plan with points to deal with pollution is now an annual affair in Delhi. Rai had said earlier that the 16 points that will be part of the plan this year will include open burning, tree plantation, dust pollution, solid waste management, and “communication with neighbouring states”.

On Thursday, Rai held a meeting on the department-specific plans with representatives from the environment department, the Delhi Development Authority, the Delhi Police, the revenue department, the Delhi Jal Board, the New Delhi Municipal Council, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, and the transport department, among others.

“Under the 16 focus points included in the summer action plan, it has been decided to prepare an immediate and long-term action plan to control Delhi’s pollution and work towards its implementation. After the meeting today, the environment department was directed to prepare a detailed action plan based on the reports/suggestions submitted by all the departments,” Rai said on Thursday.

So far this month, Delhi’s air quality has been oscillating between the ‘poor’ and ‘moderate’ categories on most days. The air quality index (AQI) on Thursday was 159, in the ‘moderate’ category, and better than the AQI of 236 in the ‘poor’ category, recorded on Wednesday. While particulate matter and carbon monoxide were identified as the prominent pollutants in Delhi on Thursday by the Central Pollution Control Board, ozone was a key pollutant a few days earlier this month.