New Delhi: Amid high pollution levels in the national capital, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Punjab government to put an end to the practice of stubble burning. The apex court also directed the states of Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to stop stubble burning “forthwith”. The overall air quality in Delhi remained in ‘very poor’ category at 6 am on Wednesday, as per the data by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR). The Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 356 after crossing 400 (severe category) for the past few days.
Delhi government on Wednesday announced a winter break for schools from November 9 to 18. The order passed by the state government, which cited that ”no respite from adverse weather conditions” has been predicted over the next few days. The decision regarding the winter beak was taken at a meeting chaired by Environment Minister Gopal Rai and attended by Education Minister Atishi, Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot and senior Delhi government officials.
NASA’s Worldview satellite has captured how the toxic smog extends from Pakistan to the Bay of Bengal. The smog is coupled with a sharp rise in farm fires in North India, shows the satellite data.
NASA data shows that the number of farm fires has seen a sharp rise since October 29. The state saw a 740 per cent increase on October 29 with 1,068 farm fire incidents – the highest in a single day in the current harvesting season.
Earlier on Tuesday, CM Kejriwal recommended to Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena the suspension of DPCC Chairman Ashwani Kumar for allegedly stopping a study to ascertain pollution sources in Delhi and shutting down an anti-smog tower. The chief minister recommended the suspension of Kumar, a senior IAS officer and principal secretary.
Also Read: Delhi’s Air Quality Hovers In Very Poor Zone
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