Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday that the coronavirus situation in the national capital due to rising air pollution.
“This should be the last year we are being killed by smoke. All governments must help their farmers the way Delhi has helped,” Kejriwal said following a spike in stubble burning activities in states like Punjab and Haryana.
The Delhi chief minister said the pollution situation in the national capital is becoming grim due to stubble burning in neighbouring states, adding that it could be a reason behind the spike of Covid-19 cases in Delhi. The national capital reported over 6,000 cases in its biggest single-day spike on Wednesday.
Arvind Kejriwal also appealed to the residents of Delhi to avoid bursting firecrackers during the upcoming festival of Diwali. “Last year we celebrated cracker-free Diwali. This year again, we won’t burst firecrackers and celebrate a similar Diwali,” he said.
Kejriwal also added that crackers can be dangerous for kids, citing the recent spike in air pollution and the coronavirus situation.
Just a day ago, the National Green Tribunal had appealed to the Delhi government to explore the option to ban bursting of green firecrackers, an alternative to regular crackers, in the national capital in view of the rising pollution level.
In a notice issued to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, the Central Pollution Control Board, the Delhi Pollution Control Board and the Delhi police commissioner, the tribunal requested banning green crackers to further control the rising pollution level in Delhi