Gopal Rai urges Air Quality Management commission to make bio-composer tech mandatory for stubble
Nov 24, 2020
New Delhi [India], November 24 : Amid rising air pollution and Covid-19 cases in Delhi, Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday urged the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to make the bio-decomposer technology mandatory for all states, which contribute to the rising air pollution in the national capital.
Addressing a press conference here, Rai said the Delhi government had filed a petition with the Centre's newly constituted commission o Monday on the basis of a report by a 15-member impact assessment committee, which showed the effect of the new technology in Delhi.
"We have a cheap and beneficial solution to this pressing air pollution problem. We urge that the commission take a decision to make this mandatory for all states as soon as possible," he said.
"If we look at images from NASA we see that as stubble burning increases, pollution levels also increase. In such a situation, it is the responsibility of not only the state government but also the Centre to take steps to combat this. This problem is increasing day by day and we keep putting it off," Rai added.
Stubble burning in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have significantly contributed to the hazardous levels of air pollution in the national capital.
This year, the matter has been especially pressing amid the Covid-19 pandemic, which affects the lungs and causes difficulty in breathing.
Covid-19 cases in Delhi reached an all-time high in the last few weeks, while the number of deaths daily continues to hover over the 100-mark. The number of active cases currently stands at 37,329.
To combat this, the Delhi government, along with PUSA, developed a bio-composer which Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had earlier claimed could decompose 70 to 95 per cent of crop residue.
"Although the Centre has been giving subsidies to farmers to buy machines in the last few years, they still have to spend money and face financial burden, ultimately resorting to stubble burning. The new technology can be implemented at half the cost, and improve the quality of the soil," Rai said.
Earlier in the day, Kejriwal sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention for the same at a meeting with chief ministers of various states over the COVID-19 situation.
