Delhi government forms committees to tackle air pollution at hotspots

Environment Minister Gopal Rai announced on Friday that the Delhi government has established coordination committees aimed at identifying and mitigating local sources of pollution at 13 locations throughout the city, which are currently experiencing "very poor" air quality. During a press conference, Rai stated that while the entire city is facing "poor" air quality, 13 specific hotspots have been noted where the Air Quality Index (AQI) has exceeded 300. These areas include Narela, Bawana, Mundka, Wazirpur, Rohini, R K Puram, Okhla, Jahangirpuri, Anand Vihar, Punjabi Bagh, Mayapuri, and Dwarka Sector-8.

The committees will be led by the deputy commissioners of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. Additionally, engineers from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) have been assigned to each hotspot, and they will be required to submit daily reports to a designated "Pollution War Room." Rai emphasized that dust has been identified as a significant contributor to the high AQI levels in these hotspots. To address this issue, 80 mobile anti-smog guns have been deployed in the affected areas to help reduce dust and improve air quality.