Amid deteriorating pollution levels in the national capital, Environment Minister Gopal Rai has urged the Centre to hold an emergency meeting to address the ongoing crisis. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Rai said that it is a moral obligation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the situation. He also slammed the Centre for not responding to the repeated appeals made by the Delhi government to allow artificial rain as a possible remedy.
Rai stated that Delhi is presently facing restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage IV, intending to reduce pollution by restricting vehicle and industrial emissions. Restrictions on private cars and trucks into the city are already in place. Despite these efforts, the air quality remains poor, thus, Rai stated that the Delhi government is looking into other options like artificial rain, which can lead to settling airborne pollutants and improve visibility.
“This is a public health emergency, not just for Delhi, but for millions of people across North India,” Rai stated. He appealed to the central government to act immediately to find a solution in coordination with the Delhi government. He urged Prime Minister Modi directly to intervene to get the clearances necessary for cloud seeding.
The Delhi government has reportedly been working with experts from IIT Kanpur to make an assessment of feasibility of artificial rain but the progress has been impeded by delays in getting clearances from various central agencies, such as DGCA, MHA, and Ministry of Defence. Despite multiple letters written to the Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav for the last few months, on August 30, then October 10 and October 23, rues that no response has come.
“While we are ready to cooperate, the central government must take the lead in convening a meeting with the relevant experts and agencies to expedite the process,” Rai said, underscoring the urgency of the situation. “The health of people in Delhi and North India cannot be ignored.”
As the pollution levels stay high, restrictions under GRAP-IV will go on, and Rai said that there’s no question about relaxation unless there’s an improvement in air quality.
With inputs from PTI.