Gopal Rai says Delhi govt cannot control pollution 'completely', blames outside sources

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Friday said that the government cannot control the pollution in the national capital completely and that sources outside the city cause twice the pollution than inside reported news agency ANIThe Environment Minister said that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwalled government in Delhi is working on a war footing to curb the pollution level reported ANIThis came after the air quality in several parts of the national capital reeled under the severe category on Friday morning with Mundka recording the highest Air Quality Index 498As per the Central Pollution Control Board CPCB the AQI in the Lodhi Road area was recorded at 438 in Jahangirpuri at 491 in the RK Puram area and in IGI Airport T3 at 486 and 473 respectivelyWhen asked whether the Delhi government has failed in curbing the pollution level Gopal Rai said First of all it is wrong to think that the Delhi Government can control pollution completely because the matter of pollution is not of Delhi alone Sources outside Delhi cause twice the pollution here than the sources within Delhi reported ANIHe said that the Delhi government is working on a war footing It is a result of the efforts of CM Arvind Kejriwal that as per the report of the Central Government in 2015 there were only 109 days out of 365 in which air quality was good Last year we reached 163 days This year Delhi experienced more than 200 days of good air qualityThe minister said that after the Delhi governments efforts the 13 hotspots identified last year across the city now have been reduced to 5 adding that the next 15 days of November are crucial reported ANILast year 1314 hotspots were identified where there was a continuous increase in pollution Now their numbers are 4 to 5 In the whole of North India there is this kind of situation of AQI The next 15 days are very critical for Delhi The speed of the wind is low and the temperature is going down Seeing this the GRAP 3 rules have been implemented We have called the meeting of all the concerned departments at 12 pm today We are seeing that though rules and policies are being made and directed their implementation is not strict This is a challenge he added reported ANIAQI at multiple locations in the NCR region of Noida also plunged to the severe category with Sector 62 Sector 1 and Sector 116 recording 483 413 and 415 respectivelyA resident of Noida told ANI that in the wake of dense smog he has started experiencing breathing problemsI can feel irritation in my throat and difficulty in breathing There is pollutionSomething should be done about it How will an ill person breathe properly You can see how the situation is he saidAnother resident Maya Sharma too complained of difficulty in breathing reported ANIMy son is going to school The smog seems to be increasing No notification regarding the closing of schools has come yet I am sending him to school wearing a maskPrecaution should be taken as children are falling ill easilyBreathing has become a little difficult If online classes take place children will not fall ill she told ANIMeanwhile health experts have advised to follow precautions including wearing masks and avoiding going out unnecessarilyDr Dhiren Gupta senior paediatrician Sir Ganga Ram Hospital told ANI that air pollution in the national capital is going to impact the paediatric age group more than adultsPollution is going to impact the paediatric age group more than adults Once you are exposed during pregnancy there are very high chance that an unborn newborn will be allergic later on In infancy remodelling happens in the lungs and other areas It impacts their lives he told ANIHe said that nowadays every road is like a smoking zone It not only affects patients who are allergic or have asthma but also normal peopleTry to avoid going out early in the morning or late in the evening because the pollution level at that time is very high At most you can wear an N95 mask We can take some measures so that we dont contribute to this pollution the health expert addedDr Nikhil Modi Senior Consultant Respiratory Critical Care Apollo Hospital also advised to follow precautions reported ANIWe are in that time of the year where pollution has started to increase once again The number of patients with breathing problems has increased More people have coughs colds water and irritation in their eyes and breathing problems People of every age are affected by this The time has come for us to use masks Go out only when needed he told ANIMeanwhile the Delhi government on Thursday ordered for all the government and private primary schools to remain shut for the next two daysIn the wake of the worsening air quality the Commission for Air Quality Management CAQM invoked the third stage of the Graded Response Action Plan GRAP on ThursdayStage III of the GRAP is implemented when the AQI hits Severe in the range of 401450 As part of its response to combat pollution the state government can impose strict restrictions on BS III petrol and BS IV diesel fourwheelers in certain areas and may suspend physical classes in schools for primary grade children up to Class 5 The Delhi government has since suspended primary school classesWith inputs from ANI