'In last 8 years, pollution dipped in Delhi but not pace of development', says Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said the pace of development has not gone down in the national capital, but the level of pollution has dipped in the last eight years.

Addressing a gathering at Thyagaraj Stadium on the occasion of World Environment Day, he asserted that both PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels "fell by 30 per cent" in 2022 compared to the figures in 2016.

Whenever development happens, it is accompanied by pollution due to the felling of trees, road construction, and kicking of dust, among others, he said.

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"In Delhi, the pace of development has not gone down in the last eight years. Schools, hospitals and flyovers are being constructed. But, the pollution level has dipped in this period," Kejriwal said.

Sharing further data, he said in 2016, on 26 days, the pollution level was 'very bad' when the city was "akin to a gas chamber" with grey skies and bad air. In 2022, only six such days were there, he said.

In 2016, on 109 days, the pollution level was 'low with clear sky' and 'very good air outside', but in 2022, the number of such days were 163, he said.

In his address, the chief minister also said that the tree cover percentage (of total land area) in the city has risen to 23 per cent today from 20 per cent in 2013.