New Delhi: The Delhi government announced on Friday that it will install air purifiers and a mist-making device at major road intersections to curb choking levels of pollution.
The national capital has been shrouded in a toxic soup as residents gear up for Diwali, marked by fireworks that leave days of dark smoke in its wake.
"We are planning to install air purifiers at five major intersections in Delhi to reduce pollution levels," Delhi health minister Satyendra Jain said at a press conference.
"We also want to try to install a mist fountain at one of these intersections... we want to do this at the earliest, maybe within a month or two," he said, adding that the mist will "help pollutants settle".
System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research showed levels of harmful PM 2.5 particles hovering between "very poor" and "severe" in the past week.
These fine particles less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter are linked to higher rates of chronic bronchitis, lung cancer and heart disease as they settle into the lungs and can pass into the bloodstream.
Mr Jain urged residents not to light crackers this Diwali, saying respiratory problems had sharply spiked in Delhi -- rated as one of the world's most polluted cities in surveys.
The Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) issued a warning on Friday on "the deadly impact" of bursting firecrackers at the onset of winter when the air is already saturated.
The government also said it will convert a coal-fired power plant into a waste-to-energy one by December 2017.
Delhi's air quality has steadily worsened over the years, a consequence of rapid urbanisation that has brought pollution from diesel engines, coal-fired power plants and industrial emissions.
It also suffers from atmospheric dust, burning of crop stubble in farms around the city as well as pollution from open fires lit by the urban poor to keep warm in winter or to cook food.
The national capital has been shrouded in a toxic soup as residents gear up for Diwali, marked by fireworks that leave days of dark smoke in its wake.
"We are planning to install air purifiers at five major intersections in Delhi to reduce pollution levels," Delhi health minister Satyendra Jain said at a press conference.
System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research showed levels of harmful PM 2.5 particles hovering between "very poor" and "severe" in the past week.
Advertisement
Mr Jain urged residents not to light crackers this Diwali, saying respiratory problems had sharply spiked in Delhi -- rated as one of the world's most polluted cities in surveys.
Advertisement
The government also said it will convert a coal-fired power plant into a waste-to-energy one by December 2017.
Advertisement
It also suffers from atmospheric dust, burning of crop stubble in farms around the city as well as pollution from open fires lit by the urban poor to keep warm in winter or to cook food.
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Atishi Writes To Lt Governor, Seeks Action Against DJB CEO After Fight Over Water Kills 1 Water Supply Problem In Parts Of Delhi? What Jal Board Says Arvind Kejriwal Skips Probe Agency Summons In Delhi Jal Board Case Windows Computers Lead To 'Blue Screen Of Death' Due To CrowdStrike Error In 1st Statement After Outage, CrowdStrike CEO Says... Massive Worldwide Microsoft Outage: Flights, Markets, Stock Exchange Down Over 300 Indian Students Return Home As 64 Die In Bangladesh Protests "Unavoidable Circumstances": India Cancels 2 Trains To Bangladesh In Pics: Bangladesh On Fire, Buildings, Vehicles Burnt Amid Ongoing Clashes Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.