Delhi: Gaurav Gogoi protests in front of Gandhi statue against pollution

The Delhi-NCR has witnessed extremely poor quality of air, with multiple pollutants crossing all desirable levels and leading to beyond 'hazardous quality'. The air quality worsened in the capital post-Diwali owing to multiple reasons such as stubble burning in the neighbouring states, which led to intolerable air quality. Lok Sabha MP and Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi protested against the rising pollution levels in front of the Gandhi statue in premises of the Parliament.

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Improvement in air quality

The air quality in New Delhi improved comparatively on Monday morning, November 18, with pollutants such as PM 2.5 at 188, which is categorized as 'moderate' quality of air in the capital's Lodhi Road area. Although the air quality is still below the acceptable levels, notably it has seen a slight improvement than what the National capital has witnessed over the last few weeks.

The Union Environment Ministry to hold a high-level meeting 

The Union Environment Ministry will hold a high-level meeting on Monday over the alarming pollution levels in Delhi and nearby areas with top officials of the states in the region. Environment Secretary CK Mishra will chair the meeting, which will be attended by chief secretaries of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Senior officials from the ministries of Housing and Urban Affairs, Power and Agriculture will also be present in the meeting, an official spokesperson said on Sunday.

Among other agenda items related to tackling air pollution, the meeting is called for monitoring the measures that are currently underway, he said. In view of the deteriorating air quality during the winter months, the meeting will also discuss the additional measures required to reduce the severity of pollution. Officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs will also be present, who will put forth measures required for more effective traffic management, which is another factor aggravating the problem of air pollution, the spokesperson said. The meeting will also be attended by municipal commissioners of the civic bodies in Delhi and district collectors of Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida will also participate via video conference.

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(INPUTS FROM ANI)