BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi criticized Arvind Kejriwal for questioning water quality report
At a time when the air quality in the national capital remains in ''very poor'' category, BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi today criticized Delhi government over the issue of air pollution.
"The reason for the rise in air pollution in Delhi is Particulate Matter (PM). Stubble burning happens two weeks in a year and pollution remains less for the rest of the year," she said.
Ms Lekhi also said that all lawmakers in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were present during the discussion on air pollution.
"All MPs were present and gave their views. There is a time allotted to every MP to speak. Everyone was present," she said, adding that air pollution issue is related to the economy.
The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital docked at 347 today, which falls in the ''very poor'' category, according to pollution watchdog System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).
In several places of Delhi, the AQI was in ''very poor'' zone while in some congested areas such as Wazirpur and ITO, the air quality plunged to the ''severe'' category.
The air quality in the nearby regions of Delhi, particularly Ghaziabad, took a turn for the worse with the Air Quality Index (AQI) at 414, which falls in the ''severe'' category, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Ms Lekhi also chided Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for questioning the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) over its report on the quality of water.
"If the quality of water was good, then why people have installed RO systems in their homes. This is because the quality of the water is not good at many places in Delhi," Ms Lekhi said.
On November 16, Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, while releasing the water quality report, had said that Mumbai's water quality was at the top, whereas the samples from Delhi had failed on 19 parameters. Following this, Mr Kejriwal accused Mr Paswan of "spreading lies" on the quality of Delhi's water.
Hitting back at the Chief Minister, Mr Paswan said on Thursday that the test was conducted by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and not by him and Delhi's water did not meet its standards.