Delhi’s Air Pollution Crisis
Minister Gopal Rai Calls for Unified Action
On Tuesday, Delhi’s Environment Minister, Gopal Rai, held a meeting with various departments to address the rising pollution levels in the city. The air quality in Delhi has been classified as ‘very poor’ for several days, with some areas reaching ‘severe’ levels. The Air Quality Index (AQI) measures pollution, with ‘poor’ ranging from 200-300, ‘very poor’ from 301-400, ‘severe’ from 401-450, and ‘severe plus’ above 450.
Gopal Rai emphasized the need for a collective effort among North Indian states to combat pollution. He criticized the BJP governments in neighboring states for focusing on politics rather than addressing the issue. Rai stated, “In Centre, UP, Haryana, and Rajasthan, there are BJP governments. They don’t know how to do something other than politics. All the governments of the Northern States will have to work together. The Delhi government is working day and night and the BJP government is sitting silently. This gap needs to be filled.”
He accused the BJP of avoiding their responsibilities, saying, “The drama of BJP workers won’t help in reducing the pollution. BJP is running away from its responsibilities.”
On Tuesday morning, the AQI in Delhi was recorded at 384, indicating ‘very poor’ air quality. Several areas, including Mundka, Vivek Vihar, and Anand Vihar, reported ‘severe’ levels, with AQI readings over 400, posing significant health risks.
| Location | AQI |
|---|---|
| Mundka | 416 |
| Vivek Vihar | 424 |
| Anand Vihar | 457 |
| Rohini | 401 |
| Dwarka Sector 8 | 404 |
Other areas like Pusa, RK Puram, and ITO also showed high AQI levels, indicating a serious pollution problem in the city.
Doubts Revealed
Gopal Rai -: Gopal Rai is a politician in India who is currently serving as the Environment Minister of Delhi. He is responsible for addressing environmental issues like pollution in the city.
Unified Action -: Unified action means that different people or groups work together towards a common goal. In this case, it refers to different states in North India working together to reduce pollution.
BJP -: BJP stands for Bharatiya Janata Party, which is one of the major political parties in India. It is currently the ruling party in India, and some states in North India have BJP governments.
AQI -: AQI stands for Air Quality Index. It is a number used to communicate how polluted the air currently is or how polluted it is forecast to become. A higher AQI means more pollution and greater health risks.
Mundka and Anand Vihar -: Mundka and Anand Vihar are areas in Delhi, the capital city of India. These areas have been experiencing very high levels of air pollution, which can be harmful to people’s health.
