New Delhi:The Delhi government has set up a 24x7 'Green War Room' to enhance the execution of its 21-point winter action plan aimed at curbing pollution in the national capital, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Monday.
Addressing a press conference, Rai said that a team of eight environmental experts will manage the war room, which has been assigned seven key responsibilities. A new task assigned to the war room this year includes analysing drone mapping and conducting real-time source apportionment studies, Rai said.
"The war room will also analyse satellite data of stubble burning, along with information from 13 pollution hotspots," said the minister. Additionally, it will monitor AQI (Air Quality Index) data and assess information from 24 pollution monitoring stations managed by the Delhi government, he said.
Regarding the use of artificial rain to reduce pollution, Rai said that he would again seek approval from the central government, as his previous request had not received a response.
On September 1, Rai requested the Centre to permit artificial rain during the winter, when the city's air quality deteriorates significantly. Rai also urged to Delhi residents to join the fight against pollution by using the Green Delhi App, encouraging them to upload photos of any activities contributing to pollution.
I request the people of Delhi to report incidents that could cause pollution through the app by uploading images of the incident, he added. Earlier on September 25, Rai unveiled the city's Winter Action Plan, featuring 21 focus points including drone monitoring, an intensified anti-dust campaign, formation of task forces, road-sweeping machines and deployment of 200 mobile anti-smog guns to combat air pollution under the theme "Mil Kar Chale, Pradushan Se Lade".
