Air Pollution Updates: Deposit Rs 5,000 Each in Bank Accounts of Workers, Says CM Kejriwal as Ban on Construction Work Reimposed Amid Spike in Pollution

Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai on Thursday said that air pollution levels have risen again today, as compared to last three-four days. He added that considering the situation and Supreme Court order, a ban has been re-imposed on construction and demolition activities.

“I have given an order today to deposit Rs 5,000 each in bank accounts of construction workers in view of a ban on construction activities due to air pollution. We will also provide compensation to workers for their loss according to their minimum wages,” Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said.

Taking note of worsening air quality, the Supreme Court on Wednesday re-imposed the ban on construction activities in Delhi and national capital region (NCR) and directed the states to provide subsistence to workers from the funds collected as labour cess for the period during which such activities are prohibited.

Air quality in the national capital continues to be in the ‘very poor’ category with the AQI clocking 390 at 9 am on Thursday, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed. The city’s 24-hour air quality index (AQI) stood at 361 on Wednesday. Neighbouring Faridabad (394), Ghaziabad (362), Gurugram (322) and Noida (330) also recorded their air quality in the ‘very poor’ category.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’. The minimum temperature in the national capital was 9.7 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season’s average, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

While the maximum temperature is likely to settle at 28 degrees Celsius, the relative humidity recorded by the weather department at 8.30 am was 95 per cent. The weather man has predicted “mainly clear sky” for Delhi on Thursday.

Scientists at the the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) scientists attributed this to the restrictions on polluting activities such as construction, thermal power plants and truck movement in the NCR, according to a Hindustan Times report. Meanwhile, experts questioned why forecasts were not used to take preemptive measures. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) told Hindustan Times that forecast-based  monitoring of pollution needs to be leveraged in order to ensure pre-emptive action.

“What stopped the agencies to take this action when Delhi had already recorded so many severe air days right after Diwali? Agencies need to focus on pre-emptive action based on air quality forecasts to prevent such spikes,” Roychowdhury said.

Asking why should Delhiites suffer very poor air quality, the Supreme Court on Wednesday called for advance preventive steps to deal with the situation before it becomes severe, observing that any dip in pollution is because of the wind, an “act of God, which too may come to zero by the end of the day.”

The court also wondered what signal the country is sending to the world when the national capital is hit by air pollution, and told the Centre and the National Capital Region(NCR) states to continue with their measures to curb air pollution.

Graded response to deal with the spike in air pollution should be taken before the situation becomes severe, a special bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana said, and made it clear that it will not close the pollution case and continue the hearing even if pollution comes down by “virtue of God’s act” or restrictions. “Why should Delhiites suffer this severe and very poor air quality?” the apex court asked. “This is the national capital. Look at the signal we are sending to the world. You can stop these (pollution causing) activities in anticipation itself…”

The court then pushed for evolving a statistical model for Delhi with the help of the Indian Meteorological Department(IMD) to anticipate a weather situation and take advance measures against air pollution. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, at the outset, said that after the last order, the situation has improved as the Air Quality Index(AQI) was at 403 on November 16 and now it was 260.

Delhi’s quality showed an improvement due to strong winds on Sunday and Monday but slipped to “very poor” category on Wednesday due to dip in mercury and wind speed, according to official data.

Read all the Latest India News here