New Delhi: As a thick gray haze choked Delhi for the third consecutive day on Tuesday, with pollution levels remaining alarmingly high at 488 in the “severe plus” category, city environment minister Gopal Rai said he has written to Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav four times, seeking urgent clearances for cloud seeding to artificially induce rain that could help combat the escalating pollution crisis.
Rai said, “It is disappointing that we received no response over the first letter we wrote to the Union environment minister on August 30 regarding cloud seeding to tackle this emergency. We wrote again on October 10 and then on October 23, but still no reply”.
The minister also said a decision on implementing “work from home” measures and the “odd-even” scheme will be taken soon to mitigate the crisis. Calling the current situation a medical emergency, Rai emphasised the need for collective action and urged the Centre to convene an emergency meeting to tackle worsening air quality. He also asserted it was the moral responsibility of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the matter. “People, including children and senior citizens, are struggling to breathe and we deeply regret this situation. This is a time of medical emergency, and we all need to work together to address the situation,” he added.
A day after the Supreme Court directed all NCR governments to ensure that GRAP-4 measures are implemented and stay in place till the AQI touches 300, Rai said the AAP government was monitoring the situation and will quickly decide on all possible preventive measures in the wake of toxic air pollution. He said that significant restrictions on vehicles under GRAP-4 have already been imposed. “We are analysing the impact of these measures. If the analysis shows a positive outcome, we will take further decisions,” he added.
In his latest letter, Rai emphasised that the thick smog layer engulfing the city can only be broken by wind or rain. He said artificial rain, facilitated through cloud seeding, is a viable emergency measure that the Delhi government was ready to fund but cannot proceed without clearances from key Central agencies such as the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation, the home ministry and the defence ministry. “Delhi cannot get relief from pollution unless we break the smog layer. Cloud seeding can help mitigate the crisis and provide immediate relief to citizens,” he added.Emphasising the urgency of the current situation, Rai said the GRAP should be implemented across the whole of North India and accused BJP-led state governments of violating the rules. He alleged that the BJP-led Central government was deliberately ignoring the health crisis in North India, adding that “its apathy is both disheartening and disturbing”. He stated: “If the Central government cannot act, their minister should resign,” he added.
In the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna said all judges have been asked to allow virtual hearings wherever possible in the National Capital Region. As soon as the bench comprising the CJI and Justice Sanjay Kumar assembled, lawyers, including Supreme Court Bar Association president Kapil Sibal, referred to the worsening pollution in Delhi and NCR and sought immediate measures to deal with it.
