Delhi Boosts Air Monitoring Ahead of Winter Pollution Spike

Delhi Government to Ramp Up Air Quality Monitoring and Cleanliness Drive in the Capital

Efforts to tackle pollution and enhance the capital's cleanliness, the Delhi government is implementing a range of initiatives to enhance air quality and present the city as an appealing destination. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa has lately stated that the government would set up six new air quality monitoring stations in Delhi within three months. The action is part of a series of measures to control the anticipated winter pollution peak. The action is part of an effort to produce more clean air days in winter, a period infamous for poisonous levels of pollution. Delhi now has 40 air monitoring stations across the city, and with six new stations, the total will be 46 by the end of the year. The stations will enable the government to get improved data in an attempt to be able to act on air quality effectively.

The new stations haven't been found yet, but the government wishes to put them in place in three months' time. The existing network of air monitoring stations in Delhi is covering places such as Alipur, Bawana, Dwarka, and IGI Airport but the most populated zones are under-represented. The stations are mainly found in less crowded places, and this imbalance has restricted the city from measuring air quality in the most populated areas. In the winter months, especially between November to January, the capital city usually experiences hazardous AQI levels, climbing even to 450 or higher, which categorizes it as "severe plus.". That tells it all about having more monitors to address the problem of pollution in the capital city.

The government is also busily engaged in polluting the Yamuna River, which has been an environmental bane for decades. Three major roadblocks have been found in the process of cleaning the river, but all efforts are being made to see that treated water enters the river solo. With the assistance of the Haryana government, the Public Works Department (PWD), and the Water Ministry, the Delhi government is making every attempt to enhance the water quality. One of the key bottlenecks is deoxygenated, stagnant riverbed water forming dead sediment. To remove the bottleneck, the government is going to restore the levels of oxygen as well as water quality. Plans have been proposed by the government to create green belts in the Yamuna in order to develop the area into a great tourist attraction.

Adding to the city's eco-friendliness, the Delhi government is going to add to its green cover. As a part of this campaign, a mass plantation campaign will see seven lakh trees planted with the help of the forest department. School children, colleges, Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), and trade organizations have all been requested to join the campaign, the goal of which is to add greenspace to Delhi. The government is also making an effort to convert Delhi's three major dumping grounds into parks. The Bhalswa dump, the most conspicuous, is to be removed by March 2026, and the other dumping grounds would be removed by 2028.

All these steps are part of the BJP government's initiative to keep Delhi's air clean and transform it into a cleaner, greener city. Sirsa, the recently sworn-in new chief, has once again made it clear that the process of containing pollution and providing the capital a facelift is already underway, and Himalayan-sized developments will be done within the coming several months. The action plan of the government focuses on meeting long-term goals, and even though it acknowledges the issues to be encountered, the actions taken are crucial to the environmental health of the city.

The current activities and future strategies of the government indicate a genuine commitment towards stopping pollution and enhancing the overall environmental well-being of Delhi. The addition of new air quality monitoring stations, cleaning of the Yamuna, and development of green areas all point towards a joint effort to address the city's most urgent environmental issues. Through these measures, Delhi will be making great strides in improving its air quality and environmental sustainability in the years to come.

Source: PTI