Delhi air pollution: Priyanka Gandhi asks PM Narendra Modi, CM to act against ‘filthy smog’

NEW DELHI: Flagging the issue of air pollution in Delhi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to intervene and take immediate steps for clearing the "filthy smog" people are breathing.Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra expressed deep concern over Delhi’s worsening air quality, saying that flying back to the capital from Wayanad and later Bachwara in Bihar was “truly shocking.” Taking to X, she described the city’s pollution as “a grey shroud thrown over it.”

“It’s really about time all of us get together regardless of our political compulsions and do something about it. The central and state governments need to act immediately, we will all support and cooperate with whatever actions they choose to take to mitigate this awful situation,” she wrote. Priyanka said that year after year, citizens of Delhi are forced to endure this “toxicity” without any relief. “Those who suffer from respiratory issues, children who commute to school every day and senior citizens especially, need urgent intervention to clear the filthy smog we are all breathing,” she added, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, and the Delhi Chief Minister to take swift action.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality continued to remain in the ‘very poor’ category on Sunday, as weak wind speeds hampered the dispersion of pollutants, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The national capital’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 386 in the morning — a sharp rise from 303 on Saturday. The Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) for Delhi reported that wind speeds had dropped below 8 kmph from the northwest during the evening and night, further reducing pollutant dispersion. Seventeen monitoring stations registered ‘severe’ air quality, with AQI readings above 400. Wazirpur recorded the highest level at 439, while 20 other stations showed ‘very poor’ air quality with readings above 300, according to the CPCB’s Sameer app. An AQI between 0–50 is classified as ‘good’, 51–100 ‘satisfactory’, 101–200 ‘moderate’, 201–300 ‘poor’, 301–400 ‘very poor’, and 401–500 ‘severe’.(With input from agency)