Kejriwal's 3-point formula for residents to help curb Delhi pollution

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday urged city residents to assist in reducing air pollution levels by turning engines of their vehicles off on red traffic signals, using public transport or car pools once a week and registering air pollution complaints using the Green Delhi app on their phones.

"Air pollution has been slowly increasing for the last three-four days. One of the main reasons is that stubble burning has started in neighbouring states where governments have failed in helping farmers in this regard. We can get a clear picture of that through NASA images… Last week, we presented a 10-point action plan. Today, I seek your help in reducing air pollution in personal capacity," said Kejriwal in a video press briefing on Tuesday.

He further said that switching off vehicle engines while waiting at traffic signals should become a habit. "Even though we will launch a formal campaign this year again from October 18, I request you to start it in personal capacity from today. Studies have shown that by doing this we can collectively save around ₹250 crore a year and reduce pollution by up to 15%."

"Secondly, I request you to use public transport or carpool at least once a week, instead of using a personal vehicle. Doing it more than once a week would be even better. Third, I request you to download the Green Delhi app... for actively registering complaints regarding air pollution.... We have resolved more than 23,000 complaints received through the app so far," said Kejriwal.

On October 4, Kejriwal released a 10-point winter action plan for the national capital to combat air pollution during the winter season, which is caused by a number of factors, including stubble burning by farmers in nearby states. The action plan includes free distribution of a bio-decomposer to stop stubble burning in Delhi, anti-dust campaign, no burning of garbage, installation of smog towers, ban on firecrackers, round-the-clock monitoring of pollution hotspots, setting up green war rooms, creating an eco-waste park, launching the Green Delhi app and investing on efforts to reduce vehicular pollution in the capital.