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India has closed six coal-fired power plants near New Delhi in an effort to reduce air pollution in the metropolitan area, which has recently reached alarming levels. informs ICIS.
The metropolitan area includes cities from the states of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, as well as the country’s administrative center, New Delhi. Of the 11 coal-fired power plants located within a 300 km radius of New Delhi, only five will continue to operate, while the rest will be closed until November 30, in accordance with an order from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).
In the event of a shortage of electricity, it will be supplied from power plants located outside a 300-kilometer radius from the capital.
An energy crisis has continued in India since October amid an acute shortage of coal. Stocks of this fuel in more than half of the country’s 135 power plants have fallen to dangerously low levels. The crisis has also affected the operation of many small businesses, especially in northern India.
According to the CAQM order, all industries in the metropolitan area that have access to gas supplies must necessarily switch from coal to gas as a fuel, otherwise their work will be stopped. CAQM also banned trucks carrying non-essential goods from entering New Delhi. In addition, construction and demolition work in the metropolitan area has been stopped until November 21.
Schools, colleges and other educational institutions in the area will closed until further notice. According to the commission, at least 50% of civil servants must work from home by November 21. Private companies were encouraged to follow suit.
The time limit was imposed following a warning from the Indian Meteorological Department that hazardous air pollution could persist for an extended period as temperatures and wind speeds are forecast to drop in the region over the next few days.
Residents of New Delhi and the capital’s suburbs are suffering from a sharp deterioration in air quality since 5 November. They complain of shortness of breath and itchy eyes, and the number of visits to medical institutions has sharply increased.
Among the main reasons for the smog over the Indian capital is the massive burning of stubble and straw in the fields after the autumn harvest, as well as the massive use of firecrackers during the main Indian festival of Diwali, which is celebrated in early November.
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