Gopal Rai wants the Center to exclusively permit CNG, electric, and BS VI-compliant cars in Delhi-NCR

 Gopal Rai wants the Center to exclusively permit CNG, electric, and BS VI-compliant cars in Delhi-NCR

The previous week has seen a decline in the quality of the air in Delhi-NCR as a result of a slow decrease in temperature, calm breezes that trap pollutants, and a rise in the burning of post-harvest paddy straw across Punjab and Haryana.

On November 4, a dense, poisonous fog continued to cover the city for a fifth day in a row, alarming medical professionals due to the growing respiratory and ocular issues in young patients and the elderly.

In an effort to reduce car pollution, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai requested the Center to only allow CNG, electric, and BS VI-compliant vehicles in the Delhi-NCR from November 4.

He voiced his worries about the anticipated decline in air quality in the next days owing to Diwali and stubble burning in neighboring states in a letter to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav.

"Therefore, a last-minute conference should be convened with NCR states to look at the issue," he said.

Directions issued by the Centre's Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) state that as of November 1, only electric, CNG, and BS VI-compliant diesel buses are permitted to run between Delhi and the cities and towns in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan that are part of the National Capital Region (NCR). Rai proposed that the National Capital Region's whole vehicle fleet should be prohibited from operating in violation of BS VI standards by the Center.

Recent studies on Delhi's emission inventory and source apportionment have shown that between 9 and 38% of the capital's PM2.5 emissions are attributed to exhaust emissions from on-road vehicles. Due to comparatively improved wind speeds, pollution levels in Delhi and the surrounding regions decreased somewhat over night, although the concentration of dangerous PM2.5 particles remained more than 80 times the safe limit advised by the World Health Organization (WHO).

On November 4, a dense, poisonous fog continued to cover the city for a fifth day in a row, alarming medical professionals due to the growing respiratory and ocular issues in young patients and the elderly.

The previous week has seen a decline in the quality of the air in Delhi-NCR as a result of a slow decrease in temperature, calm breezes that trap pollutants, and a rise in the burning of post-harvest paddy straw across Punjab and Haryana.

Delhi's Air Quality Index increased by more than 200 points between October 27 and November 3, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board. As a consequence, on November 3, the city was classified as "severe plus" (over 450).