On November 27th, one of the US Embassy’s pollution-monitoring stations in New Delhi recorded a chart-breaking reading of 999 on its custom-developed Air Quality Index. To put that in perspective, any reading above 150 is considered unhealthy, with the range 351-500 classified as ‘hazardous’.
Delhi city surprisingly overtook Tokyo in terms of population; data suggests that the number has gone up to 25 million in 2014–doubled since 1990, says a report compiled by the UN.
The hazardous air underscores the challenge facing the government as it battles pollution caused by the coal-burning power industry and will raise questions about its ability to clean up its economy at the talks in Paris.
The recent move came after Delhi’s pollution levels were declared ‘hazardous’, as the US embassy’s monitoring station recorded an air quality index of 372.
Delhi Govt will provide seed funding of Rs 2 crores for the best idea, test it and scale it up across Delhi to combat pollution.
— Aam Aadmi Party- AAP (@AamAadmiParty) November 30, 2015
Delhi Govt in collaboration with University of Chicago is looking for citizens’ inputs. To submit an idea, visit: https://t.co/kKieHKRq7d — Aam Aadmi Party- AAP (@AamAadmiParty) November 30, 2015
The time has come for environmentally conscious people to put their heads together & come up with solutions for Delhi’s pollution problem.
— Aam Aadmi Party- AAP (@AamAadmiParty) November 30, 2015