Kejriwal to chair meeting to discuss methods of reducing air pollution

NEW DELHI: Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi, is set to chair a meeting to discuss methods to control rise in the city’s pollution levels during the upcoming winter season. It is expected that Kejriwal will distribute work amongst the officials and assign duties and roles to each agency in keeping air pollution levels under check in Delhi.

Senior officials of the North, South and East Delhi Municipal Corporations (DMC), Delhi Jal Board, Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Delhi Traffic Policy, the Public Works Department and the Environment and Transport departments will attend the meeting.

According to officials, the municipal corporations have a huge role to play in keeping the pollution levels under control in the city as they are responsible for keeping the roads clean. Regular cleaning and sprinkling of water does not allow the suspension of dust particles in the air, keeping the pollution levels to a minimum. Moreover, the DDA, being the largest land owning agency in Delhi, is responsible for making sure that improper dumping of waste is not carried out on roads or vacant plots.

In addition to this, the Delhi government is also working with the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) to develop a fungi-based stubble decomposer solution. A centralized system for distribution of this solution is being set up at Kharkhari Nahar village in Najafgarh. The government is expected to spray the solution over 800 hectares of farmland in Delhi. This will prevent farmers from burning paddy straws after crops are harvested and will consequently help in reducing pollution caused by stubble burning.