Delhi Cabinet clears proposal to carry out awareness campaign on air pollution

New Delhi [India], Oct 19 (ANI): The Delhi Cabinet on Saturday cleared a proposal to carry out a mass awareness campaign on the effects of air pollution and measures taken to combat the menace.
In a statement, the Cabinet said that there has been a concerted effort by all agencies and governments at different levels to bring down pollution in the national capital with the help of campaigns such as steps to tackle stubble burning, odd-even road rationing scheme and so on.
The state government has approved an expenditure of Rs 36 crore from the Budget of the Directorate of Information and Publicity (DIP) towards the mass awareness campaigns mentioned to tackle air pollution.
"There has been a concerted effort by all agencies and governments at different levels to bring down pollution in Delhi - be it the reduction in the use of generators due to 24x7 electricity, reduction of vehicular traffic due to the eastern-western peripheral highways, closure of thermal power plants, strict enforcement of dust control norms, etc. This has resulted in a 25 per cent reduction of pollution in Delhi," the statement said.
"While there has been a 25 per cent reduction in pollution in Delhi, the winter months see a major spike in pollution levels. One of the major reasons behind this increase in pollution levels is the stubble burning that happens in the neighbouring states of Delhi, something over which the Delhi government has no control," it added.
"Therefore, the only option available to the people of Delhi are emergency measures to severely cut down on any sources of pollution emanating from Delhi, as well as to find mechanisms by which people can cope with the rising pollution levels. The various measures being taken by the government include odd-even rule from 4th-15th November, distribution of free masks to citizens of Delhi via school children, as well as encouraging a cracker-free Diwali by organising a laser show as a community Diwali celebration in Central Park," the statement further said.
The Cabinet said that one of the challenges faced by any government in such a situation is regarding compliance and participation of the citizens in such emergency measures as these often intrude upon the regular day-to-day life of people.
"This is the reason why a massive public awareness campaign is necessary, not merely to inform the citizens about the specific modalities, but also to build the confidence of citizens to participate in such measures," the statement said.
The Cabinet said that one of the measures being taken by the Delhi government is to distribute masks to the citizens, via children studying in schools.
"Research by Energy Policy Institute of the University of Chicago (EPIC) in slums of Delhi has shown that mask usage goes up substantially if masks are distributed free of cost. However, their usage is often low - despite free distribution - because of lack of awareness about masks," the statement said.
"The EPIC study showed that mask usage went up substantially when accompanied by an awareness campaign that de-stigmatised the use of masks. So even when it comes to taking measures for health and safety of citizens, it is essential to build an active public awareness campaign," added the statement.
"The Cabinet has approved an expenditure of Rs 36 crore from the Budget of the Directorate of Information and Publicity (DIP) towards the mass awareness campaigns mentioned above to tackle air pollution," it further said. (ANI)