Delhi government re-launches round-the-clock 'Green War Room' to check pollution

Launched in 2020, the Green War Room was made operational 24/7 last year. An eight-member team will be led by Dr Nandita Moitra.

In Short

• An 8-member team deployed for monitoring work in Green War Room
• Team to be led by Environmental Scientist Dr Nandita Moitra
• Green War Room to help enforce 21-point Winter Action Plan

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Monday re-launched the Green War Room to deal with the problem of pollution in the national capital. This will allow the Delhi government to monitor the developments around its 'Winter Action Plan' and will also allow the agencies that have been enroled to keep pollution in check to coordinate more efficiently.

Pollution in Delhi around the onset of winter has been a concern for the last few years. Launched in 2020, the Green War Room has state-of-the-art air quality monitoring equipment and a team of experts, including scientists and data analysts, which keeps an eye on all sources contributing to Delhi's air pollution and helps the city administration implement its action plan.

While it was launched in 2020, the Green War Room was made operational 24/7 in 2023 by the Delhi government.

An eight-member team has been deployed for monitoring work in the Green War Room. The team will be led by environmental scientist Dr. Nandita Moitra.

Monitoring inside the room will be done on seven levels. Data about pollution and pollutants collected by drones will be monitored and analysed by the eight-member team. NASA satellite data on stubble burning and the open burning of garbage will also be checked inside the room.

The team will keep a tab on the complaints regarding pollution received on the Green App. Data from 24 hotspot stations (areas where pollution levels are the highest) will be analysed by the team. Furthermore, the team will closely monitor the Air Quality Index (AQI) in and around Delhi and suggest changes to combat pollution.

Environmental engineers will study the causes of pollution, monitor primary pollution levels, suggest measures to curb pollution and address the complaints on the Green App.

Notably, the Delhi government also announced a 21-point Winter Action Plan to combat air pollution. It comprises the use of drones to monitor 13 pollution hot spots in Delhi, which have consistently recorded more than the average level of PM2.5 (particulate matter having a diameter of less than 2.5 microns).

As many as 360 teams have been deployed to check vehicles operating without pollution certificates. The action plan aims to promote EV adoption and enforce a ban on crackers, especially around Diwali. The government will also begin an anti-dust campaign starting October 8.

A letter was also written to the Centre regarding artificial rain in Delhi between November 1 and November 15, the period during which pollution is slated to be at its peak in the national capital.

(with inputs from Amit)