
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will launch his government's 15-point action plan to fight air pollution in winter on September 30, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said today.
Addressing a press conference, Mr Rai said the Delhi government has made it mandatory to install anti-smog guns at all construction and demolition sites larger than 5,000 square metres.
Action will be taken against project proponents found violating this direction, he said.
Earlier, construction and demolition sites larger than 20,000 were required to install anti-smog guns to control dust pollution.
The winter action plan will focus on stubble management, dust pollution, vehicular emission, open burning of garbage, industrial pollution, pollution hotspots, smog towers, public participation, firecrackers and joint action with neighbouring states among other aspects, he said.
Mr Rai said the revised Graded Response Action Plan - a set of anti-air pollution measures followed in Delhi and its vicinity according to the severity of the situation - will come into force as soon as the Commission for Air Quality Management issues orders in this regard.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
The sudden exposure to smoke, toxic gases, and fine particulate matter has left the elderly, children, pregnant women, and those with chronic respiratory or cardiac illnesses struggling to cope.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital improved on Saturday morning but remained under the "poor" category, with Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) already in effect across Delhi-NCR.
With the city's air quality remaining in the "poor" category, Delhiites are rushing to stock up on air purifiers and masks, leading to a 60-70 per cent jump in sales, traders said.
The State of Global Air 2025 examines air quality and health outcomes using the latest PM2.5 and ozone exposure data and disease burden models.
The latest State of Global Air report paints a grim picture of the world's worsening air quality, warning that pollution has become the planet's second leading cause of premature death, behind only high blood pressure.
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