New Delhi: The Delhi government is going to unveil its Winter Action Plan on September 27, 2024. Severe pollution becomes a recurring feature of these cold months, the plan is designed to be more targeted by focusing at pollution hotspots, vehicular and dust pollution, industrial emissions, and will enact several emergency measures like odd-even vehicle scheme and artificial rain to mitigate critical levels of pollution.
For the first time, Delhi will be observing pollution levels through drone technology at 13 hotspots where the city has identified trouble. But it’s a part of a much larger strategy that forms a series of key interventions specifically designed for controlling pollution across all sectors-from short-term to long-term solutions as well.
Focus on areas majorly dealing with pollution.
These 21 focus areas on which the Winter Action Plan is based were identified by the Delhi Environment Department in association with the DPCC after discussions led by Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai. On these, the plan prescribes specific actions to reduce pollution from several major sources such as emissions through vehicles, industrial output, dust, and the open burning of waste and stubble.
It has directed different causes of pollution to be looked after by separate departments through winter preparatory measures, with Delhi government under the assumption that pollution is known to worsen by the onset of winter seasons. For instance, the PWD and MCD will take care of dust control measures and mobile anti-smog guns. The Traffic Police and Transport Department will look into curbing vehicular pollution.
Emergency Measures: Enforce odd-even vehicle policy and offer artificial rain. Two of the most critical measures in the Winter Action Plan include revival of the odd-even vehicle rule that the city had once enforced in order to regulate the emissions on roads during times of peak pollution by not allowing vehicles on any given day whose number based on its registration plate is odd or even. For more experimental artificial rain, clouds will be seeded to bring rain and facilitate the flushing of pollutants from the atmosphere. All these steps would be implemented once the pollution peaking level threatened to breach the acceptable air quality threshold.
Public Involvement -Improvement in Monitoring
It was a dramatic new step this year by the government into real-time pollution tracking with the use of drone technology to monitor air quality at pollution hotspots. “The 13 hotspots that have been identified for these purposes have consistently high levels of pollution and particularly during the winter months,” according to official data.
The Green War Room, that is the control room for the city that takes care of pollution, will be further strengthened so that it can respond faster to increases in pollution levels. The Green Delhi App, which enables citizens to report violations and get quick responses from authorities, will be redesigned to cultivate greater user interactions and encourage public reporting of complaints like illegal burning and industrial emissions.
A real-time source apportionment study will be integrated with the Winter Action Plan as part of the push toward detailed data on sources of pollution. This will, in turn, provide better-targeted interventions based on scientific data and further make the authorities understand better the contribution by these sources of pollution resulting from traffic, industry, and waste burning.
Multi-Agency Coordination and Task Forces
The present plan relies on coordination that exists between several government agencies for its success. In fact, the heads of various departments have been given a specific role to be played in dealing with the pollution in the capital. For instance, it will be the responsibility of the Forest Department to step up the green cover of the city by way of tree plantation drives, while the government has promised itself an intensive crackdown against the illegal sale and use of firecrackers during festive seasons.
A specific task force is to be formulated that will coordinate the large-scale implementation of the plan, necessary efforts to control pollution done all over the city. The body thus set up will follow up and monitor the control of pollution, and ensure every individual fulfills his or her role.
Green Initiatives and Long-term Strategies
In addition to these direct pollution control measures, the Winter Action Plan has some medium-term initiatives toward making Delhi more environmentally friendly. For improving the green cover of the city, tree plantation drives will be increased, and the government has proposed India’s first e-waste eco-park, focusing on safe and proper disposal and recycling of electronic waste, an increasing concern for the cities.
The government is also going to seek cooperation from other neighboring states and the Central government to address inter-state pollution sources, such as stubble burning in other states, which are major polluters in Delhi, particularly during winters.
Other Initiatives: Work from Home and Flexible Timings
As a precautionary measure for the impending spells of heavy pollution, the Delhi government has announced its plans to roll out work-from-home in the private sector. These measures are expected to enhance the city’s decongestion and reduce traffic emissions during peak hours of pollution.
The government is also exploring options to alter office timings to minimize headon traffic and consequently reduce the number of vehicles on the road at any one time.
Conclusion
Winter Action Plan for Delhi: As the pollution index in Delhi continues to increase during the winter months, the need has always been felt for a multi-pronged approach to address the issue. The short-term measures include emergency steps such as the odd-even scheme and artificial rain, while the long-term approach includes tree planting and development of an e-waste eco-park.
To be implemented in coordination with various departments and through public engagement on the Green Delhi App, this new set of measures will be put in place.
In this lead to winter, the government hopes that these joint efforts to some extent would counterbalance the ill effects of air pollution on people’s health and the city’s environment.
Source:
Declarations and statements issued by Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on the Winter Action Plan, September 2024.