00:00Joining us now is Sneha Mordani. Sneha, we all know the kind of pollution we've been facing for
00:07last few days has been either in poor, severe or severe plus category. Now, the curbs that the
00:13government is talking about, is that going to impact the pollution quality? And also,
00:20how is this pollution impacting the health of the Delhi citizens?
00:24Anjali, because I just want to kind of answer that question a little. In a few moments from now,
00:29I just want to tell you that this is what the Delhi government is doing for Delhi. But we know
00:33that just because it's Delhi doesn't mean the people living in the NCR region are not impacted.
00:37It's actually because of the geographical location, the similar kind of air quality where we are right
00:43now in Noida, essentially. So if the CAQM had implemented all of this and said all of this,
00:48it would be applicable to the NCR, not just Delhi, but because this is the Delhi government that is
00:53saying it, it's only going to be applicable to Delhi. So cars in Noida can continue polluting
00:58the way they do, which we see very often. There have to be stricter rules implemented in Noida and
01:05other parts of the national capital region as well, because that's a problem area, you know,
01:10coordination with all the agencies and also because the air here, if it's polluting, it's also going to
01:15have an impact on Delhi. So there has to be a larger perspective to look at the national capital
01:20region, not just in Delhi city. Having said that, PUC certificates are absolutely mandatory. I wish
01:26it was mandatory throughout the year, not just during the winter months when we are breathing
01:30poison, you know, so that really makes a little bit of a difference when throughout the year you
01:35allow people to get away. In fact, even in the winter months, people are getting away and that
01:39really is no secret that implementation is a big problem. You do stop people and check if the emission
01:45pipes are throwing out smoke, but there are many vehicles which I have not that PUC done. They may not be
01:50throwing out smoke, but the quality of the vehicle in terms of the pollution certificates would not
01:57be in order. So that needs to be done throughout the year. One step, actually two things that I kind
02:02of welcome from what Sirsa said is that he did say it's not a problem that can be solved in a few
02:08months, which is thankfully acknowledgement that this is a long-term solution that we need to look
02:13at in one way or the other. That's a way of looking at it. The other thing that he said is the control of
02:18burning fossil fuels, you know, and providing these electric heaters for people who have to
02:25work at night, work outside, you know, security guards, etc. It's cold, you know, and they would
02:31need these electric heaters and providing 10,000 electric heaters is a great step. Of course, a lot
02:36of jokes around tandoors being banned in Delhi, but I have to say that this is really a great step when
02:41you cut the source of emission, which is burning coal, then you do yourself a favor because that
02:48is what leads to a lot of pollution. So these small steps work. I only wish it should have been done
02:54much earlier, not now, right? Because it really appears to be, you know, some sort of a band-aid
02:59solution. Like I said, at the end of the day, a long-term solution is what really is required.
03:04Absolutely. And that long-term solution or plan, if it is developed, it should be shared with
03:10the public as well so that they are also able to give their opinion and are aware. Thank
03:15you very much, Sneha, for joining.
Comments