Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Nov 13: After nearly two years closure due to Coronavirus pandemic, smog will now keep the children off the schools in Delhi. The Delhi schools will again shift to online classes starting Monday and the government offices switching back to “work from home” mode.
All construction activities will be shut down and the new restrictions will remain in force at least for one week as the national capital continued to fight against the toxic smog that has blanketed over the Delhi sky for over a week now, the chief and government offices will work from home, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Saturday, as the national capital fights the toxic smog that has blanketed the city for over a week now.
Announcing the new restrictions, the Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Saturday that the construction works which contributed to dust and microscopic pollutants in the air would only be shut down for four days – from November 14 to 17. Kejriwal’s four-step pollution control plan, which included planning for a city-wide lockdown, comes hours after an angry Supreme Court demanded the government at the centre and in Delhi prioritise an emergency response over long-term efforts to tackle the problem. The Chief Justice of India NV Ramana even suggested at least a two-day total lockdown in the National Capital Region to tide over the situation at least for the time being.
“For a week from Monday onwards, schools will be physically closed (they can continue virtually) so children don’t have to breathe polluted air. Construction activities will not to be allowed between November 14 and 17,” Kejriwal told reporters.
“Government offices will operate from home (WFH) at 100 per cent capacity for a week. Private offices will be issued an advisory to go for WFH option as much as possible,” he said.
Delhi and surrounding areas, including Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad, have been choking under a deadly blanket of polluted air for over seven days now – beginning with Diwali last week. Before, during and after Diwali thousands in these and other areas burst firecrackers in blatant violation of orders by the Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments, contributing greatly to the shocking deterioration of air quality levels.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board, at 6.30 pm the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi was 427 while according to SAFAR-India the AQI was at 499. AQI readings in excess of 400 are considered ‘severe’ or ‘hazardous’. At these levels, the polluted air has high concentrations of PM2.5 particles and these can cause cardiovascular and respiratory diseases such as lung cancer. As per a forecast by the Air Quality Early Warning System, it could remain in the ‘severe’ category on Sunday and Monday as well
Air quality levels in Delhi have also been affected by farmers in nearby areas burning stubble – another annual problem that increases pollutants in the atmosphere. The Delhi government’s announcement came after the Supreme Court pulled up the centre over the Delhi air crisis. Justice Ramana said: “You see how bad the situation is…. even in our houses, we are wearing masks. Tell us how you plan to take emergency measures. Two-day lockdown? What is your plan on lowering AQI?”
Breathing the Delhi air is “like smoking 20 cigarettes a day,” the state government admitted in the court, stressing, “We agree to the gravity of the situation.” The Chief Justice warned the centre to look beyond politics and work with the Arvind Kejriwal government to solve what is an annual (and worsening) problem in the city. In a sharp rebuke to the Delhi government, the court said: “You opened all schools two weeks back… All kids are exposing their lungs to this hazardous air.”
The court also questioned the centre’s plans to stop stubble burning, and was distinctly unimpressed by blame being placed on farmers in Punjab. “Why are you projecting like (the) pollution is because of farmers? It is only a certain percentage of pollution. What about the rest? What are you doing to control the pollution in Delhi? You tell us what the plan is… not about 2-3 days,” the court insisted.
Earlier in the day Kejriwal called an emergency meeting to tackle severe air pollution in the city. Expressing alarm over the worsening Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital, the top court asked the Centre and the Delhi government to inform it by Monday if “emergency measures” like “lockdown for two days” or “stopping vehicles” should be imposed to prevent further deterioration in the situation.
“Some percentage of contribution is stubble burning, rest is pollution in Delhi, particularly crackers, industries, dust, etc. You tell us how to control immediately… Two days’ lockdown or something? Otherwise, how will people live,” Ramana, heading a three-judge bench, told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta while hearing a plea against air pollution.
The apex court termed the rise in air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region an “emergency” and asked the Centre and the Delhi government to take immediate measures to improve air quality, suggesting steps such as stopping vehicles and clamping a lockdown in the national capital. “We want the pollution to decrease ultimately. Nothing else,” the chief justice said.
The bench, also comprising Justices DY Chandrachud and Surya Kant, said there were other reasons for pollution such as vehicular emissions, firecrackers and dust, and singling out stubble burning is not the solution.
“Your projection is as if farmers are responsible for this pollution. Seventy per cent. First let the Delhi people be controlled. Where is the effective mechanism to control fire crackers, vehicle pollution etc?
“We understand some per cent is stubble burning. Rest is crackers, vehicular pollution, industries, dust pollution etc. You tell us how to bring AQI levels from 500 to 200 points in Delhi. Take some immediate urgent measures like a two-day lockdown,” the bench said. The observations came while hearing a plea filed by environmental activist Aditya Dubey and law student Aman Banka, who sought directions to provide stubble-removing machines to small and marginal farmers for free.
