Delhi minister's solution to air pollution is 'work from home'

Delhi Environment minister Gopal Rai (Image credit: @AapKaGopalRai/Twitter)

As Delhi's air quality becomes "severe", Environment minister Gopal Rai has a possible solution to the pollution problem -- work from home. He appealed to people to work from home and avoid using private vehicles because half of the pollution was caused by vehicular emissions.

"I appeal to people, if possible work from home and avoid taking out private vehicles. Fifty per cent of the pollution is from vehicles," Rai said.

"If you are going to office, try to share vehicles; if you can, work from home, so vehicles can be taken out only in emergencies." He also asked people not to burst firecrackers.

The AAP minister also blamed the Centre for not supporting the Punjab government's plan to provide a cash incentive to them for not burning the crop residue. "Stubble burning in Punjab is happening due to Centre as they didn't support Punjab govt, farmers to stop it," Rai said.

"The BJP is blaming farmers for burning stubble because of their protests.... They now want FIRs to be filed against them. They should stop abusing farmers, stop seeking revenge from them."

भाजपा की केंद्र सरकार पराली के समाधान के लिए किसानों को सहयोग दें, गाली नहीं।

भाजपा पहले प्रदूषण बढ़वाती है फिर उस पर राजनीति करती है जबकि दिल्ली सरकार प्रदूषण कम करने के लिए कर रही है हर संभव प्रयास। pic.twitter.com/PJC3N84QOz — Gopal Rai (@AapKaGopalRai) November 2, 2022

Read more: In pics | Shocking visuals as haze blankets Delhi, air quality turns ‘severe’ again

Quoting a study by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Rai said that 69 per cent of the air pollution in Delhi comes from neighbouring states.

"The air pollution problem cannot be resolved through politics," he said. "The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has come up with a plan, which will have to be implemented in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana too -- in Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Gurugram and Bahadurgarh."

In other measures to reduce air pollution, Rai urged people not to burn wood or coal, especially in the mornings. He appealed to housing associations to provide their security guards with electric heaters so that they do not have to light bonfires.

Read more: Experts dub Delhi-NCR's air pollution as 'medical emergency' amid rising Pneumonia, chest infection cases: Report