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New Delhi: The Delhi government has constituted a specialised expert group to advise on strategies for the prevention, control and mitigation of air pollution in the capital, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa announced on Saturday, December 6. Sirsa said the panel includes leading specialists and “will serve as a much-needed think tank acting as a friend, philosopher and guide to the Delhi Government in its fight against pollution.”
Alongside this advisory group, the government has also created a High-Level Implementation Committee for the Control of Air Pollution, headed by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.
According to Sirsa, “This committee will ensure time-bound execution, strict monitoring and effective implementation of all directions and action plans issued by the Government of Delhi, Hon’ble Courts and statutory bodies.”
He added that “Both the Expert Group and the Implementation Committee shall work in close coordination, one serving as the brain and the other as the arm of our collective effort. I firmly believe that with the concerted efforts of the Government and the people of Delhi, we will, God willing, soon prevail in this war against pollution.”
Delhi saw a marginal rise in minimum temperatures on Saturday as a western disturbance began influencing local weather conditions. The city recorded 6.8°C, still three degrees below the seasonal norm, after having touched 5.6°C on Friday, which was the coldest this season so far.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said minimum temperatures are expected to climb gradually over the next couple of days, with partly cloudy skies and winds of 15–20 kmph reported on Saturday. The minimum temperature is forecast to remain between 8°C and 10°C on Sunday and Monday. Stronger winds are likely to help disperse pollutants, offering temporary respite from toxic air. At 10 am on Saturday, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was 334 (‘very poor’), slightly higher than 327 measured at 4 pm on Friday.
