Stop blame game, 80% pollution emanating from Delhi garbage itself: Centre

Rebuking the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi Government for accusing neighbouring states over the rising levels of pollution in the national capital, the Centre on Sunday asserted that 80 per cent of the pollution in the city was due to the garbage within Delhi itself.

Speaking to ANI here, Union Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave stated that according to the satellite images by ISRO, it was clear that the neighbouring states were responsible for only 20 per cent of the pollution, whereas the remaining 80 per cent was strictly from Delhi and mainly due to its garbage problem.

"The issue cannot be solved through blame game. If you start blaming other states then it is nothing but politicisation of the matter. The Centre is ready to help in every possible way as it always has, but the onus lies on the state government to take charge and emerge from the mindset of always blaming others for their problems," Dave said.

However, the Delhi Government remained adamant on its stand that crop burning by the neighbouring states were the main contributors towards the 'gas chamber' like situation in the city.

Speaking to ANI here, Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain stated that the source of pollution in Delhi is not from within Delhi but from its neighbouring states.

"The situation is same in Haryana where Gurgaon and Faridabad are more polluted than Delhi," he said.

Asserting that the Delhi Government was not indulging in blame game over the pollution level in the national capital, Jain further said that crop burning in neighbouring states remain the main reason.

"The conditions in Delhi have not changed a bit, even traffic emissions remain the same. Crop burning is the reason behind it all," he said.

The Delhi minister further said that all hospitals are ready and well equipped to handle the situation, adding that there has been an increase in the flow of patients with breathing problems.

Meanwhile, reacting to the allegations by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal that pollution in the national capital was primarily due to the stubble burning in Punjab, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal defended saying that farmers in Punjab have been provided with better equipments that can help in cutting of crops in a better way.

"We have asked them several times, not to burn the stubble. We have also given them machines which can help in cutting of crops in a better way, but they do some or the other mistake," Badal told the media.

On Saturday, Kejriwal primarily blamed stubble burning in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana for the problem and asked the Centre to intervene to tackle the problem of rising air pollution.

"Pollution has increased to an extent that Delhi resembles a gas chamber. Prima facie the biggest reason seems to be burning of stubble in agricultural fields in Haryana and Punjab in huge quantity," Kejriwal said.

The Centre has calling a meeting of environment ministers of all neighbouring states on Monday to put an end to crop burning as Delhi's pollution level rises to alarming levels.