Rajat Sharma, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of India TV.
After Diwali, Delhi’s air once again reached the very poor category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the air quality index of Anand Vihar reached 296, Punjabi Bagh 280, and ITO 263. Whereas Pusa Road’s AQI is 362 and R.K. Puram’s AQI was recorded at 290. Delhi Pollution Control Committee says that compared to last year, this time after Diwali, the level of pollution in Delhi’s air increased by 45 percent. Firecrackers are being said to be the cause of pollution. Scientists of Center for Science and Environment (CSE) said that the air quality index of some areas of Delhi had reached 900 to 1000 at 2 o’clock in the night, although it decreased slightly on Monday afternoon. According to the DPCC report, after Diwali, particulate matters i.e. PM 2.5 increased by 33 percent in the air of Delhi, while the level of PM 10 was recorded to have increased by 45 percent as compared to last year’s Diwali. PM 2.5 is considered extremely harmful for the lungs. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai alleged that due to the ban on firecrackers in Delhi, a conspiracy was carried out to bring firecrackers from Haryana and UP to Delhi to pollute the air. Gopal Rai pointed out the hand of BJP leaders in this also. BJP leader Kapil Mishra termed Rai’s allegations as absurd.
Interestingly, this time the Punjab government has claimed that after Diwali, the air quality index in the entire Punjab improved by about 8 percent compared to 2022. At the same time, this time after Diwali, the air quality index of Punjab was about 23 percent better as compared to 2021. The Punjab government is patting itself on the back by comparing it with previous figures, but the truth is that the air quality index of Punjab deteriorated by 30 percent after Diwali compared to before Diwali. On November 11, the AQI of many cities of Punjab was around 100, but after Diwali, the AQI of Patiala was 169, Ludhiana’s 166, Amritsar’s Air Quality Index 161 and Sangrur’s 167. It is clear that the Bhagwant Mann government of Punjab is praising itself by comparing the figures of the last two years. But the truth is that the air in Punjab also became bad after Diwali. At present, Aam Aadmi Party has not told who is responsible behind the deteriorating air quality of Punjab.
It is strange to think that Delhi’s pollution has become an issue of political conflict. Two crore people living in Delhi are forced to breathe poisonous air and instead of finding a solution, the Delhi government ministers are busy telling that crackers were burst by BJP people on the night of Diwali. People from the other side are trying to explain that there is no benefit in banning firecrackers and fireworks, neither in Delhi nor in Mumbai. It was also said that those supporting the ban on firecrackers are anti-Hindu. The reality is that no one knows what is the real cause of air pollution in Delhi, the stubble of Punjab or the fireworks of Delhi? Nor does anyone know what is the solution to air pollution? When it rained from the sky, the air of Delhi became clean, when the wind blew, the pollution reduced, when the rain stopped, when the wind stopped, the pollution returned again. It would be better if people from all parties put their minds together, sit together and think about what is the solution to air pollution, so that similar statements do not have to be made again next year. (Rajat Sharma)
Watch: ‘Aaj Ki Baat, Rajat Sharma Sath’ full episode of November 13, 2023
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