Delhi’s Winter Action Plan: Gopal Rai Announces New Measures to Fight Pollution
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai held a meeting with the Environment Department and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee to discuss a ‘Winter Action Plan’ aimed at tackling pollution during the winter months. The plan, which focuses on 21 key areas, will be revealed on September 27.
Key Measures in the Winter Action Plan
Gopal Rai highlighted several important measures in the plan:
- Drone monitoring at 13 pollution hotspots.
- Formation of a special task force to prevent pollution.
- Control of dust pollution with the help of various departments like PWD, MCD, and Delhi Metro.
- Measures to reduce vehicle pollution, including the introduction of 2,000 electric buses.
- Efforts to control stubble and garbage burning.
- Coordination with the central government and neighboring states.
- Emergency preparations like the odd-even scheme and artificial rain.
Long-Term Benefits
Gopal Rai also mentioned that long-term actions by the government have led to a 45% reduction in pollution. These actions include providing 24/7 electricity, increasing the green belt cover, and shifting polluting industries to CNG.
“All the industries that were polluting, we have shifted 100 percent of them to CNG. The forest green belt in Delhi has been increased from 20 percent to 23.6 percent. Lakhs of trees have been planted in Delhi. The polluting thermal power plant in Delhi has been shut down. The result of this is that since our government has come to power, the pollution has been decreasing,” said Gopal Rai.
Doubts Revealed
Gopal Rai -: Gopal Rai is the Environment Minister of Delhi. He is responsible for making plans to keep the environment clean and safe.
Winter Action Plan -: The Winter Action Plan is a set of steps that the Delhi government will take to reduce pollution during the winter season.
pollution -: Pollution is when the air, water, or land becomes dirty and harmful to people, animals, and plants.
drone monitoring -: Drone monitoring means using small flying machines called drones to watch and check for pollution in certain areas.
hotspots -: Hotspots are places where pollution is very high and needs special attention.
task force -: A task force is a group of people who work together to solve a specific problem, like pollution.
vehicle pollution -: Vehicle pollution is the dirty air that comes from cars, buses, and other vehicles.
dust pollution -: Dust pollution is tiny particles of dirt in the air that can make it hard to breathe.
electric buses -: Electric buses are buses that run on electricity instead of petrol or diesel, which helps reduce pollution.
green belt cover -: Green belt cover means areas with lots of trees and plants that help clean the air.