With the dip in temperature and wind speed, Delhi is once again blanketed by record breaking pollution levels of particulate matter.
In November, Delhi's pollution crisis had peaked with pollution levels prevailing at record high for over two weeks. This month again, pollution levels have remained at similar high for last two weeks in the city.
Heavy pollution have resulted in smog filled skies prompting city dwellers to adopt measures like wearing pollution masks, keeping indoors and fixing air purifiers.
Price of air purifiers have gone up by twenty per cent in the last two months, a city-based retailer said.
On Friday, Delhi environment minister, Imran Hussain, said that pollution levels (PM 2.5 and PM 10) had come down marginally according to data collected by the Delhi Pollution Control Board.
"The minister was apprised that air quality in Delhi specially during the winter is influenced by multiple factors such as meteorological parameters such as wind speed, wind direction, humidity and solar index. Fog and smog are two separate environmental phenomena. The present scenario of weather in the city is primarily due to fog," a Delhi government release said.
However, on Friday pollution levels shot back to record highs in the city. Delhi government has also committed to start a waste management and power generation plant at city dump site in Ghazipur mandi.
Hussain had directed his department to ask the DDA, NDMC, (both Central government bodies), North MCD, South MCD, East MCD, PWD, Transport and Revenue Departments, Delhi Traffic Police (under Home ministry) and Delhi Cantonment Board (under Army) to intensify urgent air pollution controlling measures in Anand Vihar and Punjabi Bagh areas.
These measures include sprinkling of water, mechanical sweeping of roads, strict vigil to check burning of leaves, garbage and dust generated due to constructional activities.
He also ordered stringent action against construction activities, plying of vehicles without valid PUC, visibly polluting vehicles, overloaded vehicles and non-destined vehicles.
Corporate houses were seen fixing air purifiers in their offices. In November, attendance had dipped in the Delhi-NCR offices by 22 per cent owing to high levels of pollution and smog in the city.
Some corporate house are also organising pollution mask donation drives for traffic police and other civil work departments.
To check vehicular pollution, the union environment ministry has also urged the five neighbouring states to give an update of the pollution control measures taken in these states.
These include checking burning of crop stubble in fields, allowing land acquisition for important road infrastructure needed to divert vehicular traffic from the capital, retrofitting vehicles among many others.
The AAP government last year had implemented the Odd-Even traffic rule in the city to take care of spiking pollution levels in the city.
