Delhi govt to hold meeting with experts on air pollution next week

The Delhi government will meet experts next week to outline an action plan to combat air pollution in the city, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Thursday.

The Washington University, which has been engaged by the government to provide real-time source of pollution throughout the year, will submit its report next month, Rai told reporters after holding a meeting with officials on air pollution.

He said the AAP government will launch a mass awareness campaign to deal with air pollution in the city and also hold meetings with other states next month to seek support in resolving environmental issues.

"The Washington University will release their final report in March after which the Delhi government will be able to induct real-time data to monitor the sources of pollution. We will be able to measure our actions as well as the impact of these action plans," Rai said.

A roundtable conference will be held at the Delhi Secretariat on February 27, he said.

"Experts from various NGOs and engineers from various departments will be invited to the conference. We will also incorporate their suggestions in action plan to deal with various pollution issues," the minister said.

He said all the agencies, including MCDs, PWD, DDA and RWAs, will meet on February 28 to discuss how to spearhead the Delhi government's ambitious project of the plantation of around 40 lakh trees in the city.

He claimed that the government has already completed the plantation of 25 lakh trees, which has resulted in around a 25 per cent increase in greenery in Delhi.