Gopal Rai to hold high-level meet on 13 December to review air pollution in National Capital

Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai will hold a high-level meeting on Monday to review restrictions imposed to bring down pollution levels in the National Capital, officials from the state government said on Sunday, a development that comes even as Delhi’s air pollution remains ‘very poor’. The Delhi government imposed some restrictions, including a ban on the entry of trucks carrying non-essential items in the city and closure of schools and colleges till further orders, on Wednesday as the national capital’s air quality plummeted. Among the restrictions imposed was a ban on all construction and demolition activities in the city till November 21 and a work from home order for government employees until Sunday. Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality remained “very poor” on Sunday morning and strong surface winds are likely to bring some relief from high pollution levels during the day, authorities said. The city recorded its air quality index (AQI) at 382 at 9 am. The 24-hour average AQI was 374 on Saturday. Neighbouring Faridabad (347), Ghaziabad (344), Greater Noida (322), Gurgaon (345) and Noida (356) also recorded their air quality in the ‘very poor’ category. From 21 to 23 November, surface winds are likely to be strong resulting in effective dispersion that improves air quality, said the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ air quality monitor SAFAR. “Transport-level winds coming from northwest direction are also likely to be strong during the period and will flush out locally emitted pollutants from Delhi to the southeast region that is expected to improve air quality further,” it said. According to the India Meteorological Department, the city recorded a minimum temperature of 9.8 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal. The maximum temperature is likely to settle around 27 degrees Celsius. Strong surface winds gusting up to 30 km per hour are likely on Monday, it said. To combat pollution, the Delhi government had on Wednesday issued 10 directions, including a ban on the entry of trucks carrying non-essential items in the city and closure of schools and colleges till further orders. The Delhi government had banned construction and demolition activities in the city till 21 November. It had also ordered its employees to work from home till Sunday. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said 1,000 private CNG buses will be hired to strengthen the public transport system.