Impossible to fix AQI in 9-10 months, says Delhi Environment Minister

Manjinder Singh Sirsa said air pollution posed a serious and immediate risk to children, but asserted that the current government was taking steps to bring the situation under control

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Tuesday apologised to the citizens for high pollution levels in the national capital, arguing that it was “impossible” for any elected government to reduce the air quality index (AQI) within 9-10 months.

 

“I apologise to the people of Delhi for the rising air pollution. We are working consistently to reduce it day by day. No government can completely control pollution levels within nine to ten months,” Sirsa said while addressing a press conference.

 

AAP to be blamed for Delhi's pollution, says Sirsa

 

The minister blamed the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's policies for the current situation. He said the BJP government was making sustained efforts to tackle pollution but could not reverse years of damage in a short period.

 

Taking a swipe at AAP leaders who staged a protest at the Delhi Secretariat earlier in the day, Sirsa said they failed to take meaningful action when they were in power. “They did nothing to address the issue and are now protesting over a situation they created. The AQI has remained at similar levels over the last 10 years,” he alleged.

 

Sirsa said air pollution posed a serious and immediate risk to children, but asserted that the current government was taking steps to bring the situation under control.

 

He also slammed Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for raising the issue now. “Today, they are talking about wearing masks. Where were they when the AQI was around 380 on this day last year? They were silent because they supported the AAP at that time,” the minister said.

 

Delhi AQI remains in ‘very poor’ zone

 

Delhi saw a slight easing in air pollution levels on Tuesday morning, though overall air quality continued to remain unhealthy. Data released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed the city’s average Air Quality Index at 377 at 8 am, which placed it in the ‘very poor’ category.

 

The reading marked a modest improvement from Monday, when the AQI rose to 427 by late afternoon, pushing air quality into the ‘severe’ range.

 

Pollution levels remained elevated across much of the city. While several monitoring stations reported marginal relief, many areas continued to struggle with poor air. Of the 39 CPCB stations operating on Tuesday, ten still recorded ‘severe’ air quality, two fell in the ‘poor’ category, and the remaining 27 stations stayed within the ‘very poor’ range.