Priyanka Gandhi urges PM, Rekha to act on ‘filthy smog’

With air quality in the national capital dipping, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to take immediate steps to clear the “filthy smog” that residents are breathing.

In a post on X, Priyanka Gandhi wrote that returning to Delhi’s air after visiting Wayanad in Kerala and Bachwara in Bihar was “truly shocking.” She said the pollution covering the city was “like a grey shroud thrown over it” and called for a coordinated response from both the Central and Delhi governments.

“It’s really about time all of us get together, regardless of our political compulsions and do something about it,” she said. Gandhi noted that children, senior citizens and those with respiratory problems are particularly at risk and urged the authorities to act urgently to protect public health.

Her remarks come amid worsening air quality in Delhi, where several monitoring stations have recorded air quality index (AQI) levels in the ‘severe’ range over the past few days.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticised the Delhi Government’s decision to carry out cloud-seeding operations to induce artificial rain in an attempt to reduce smog. Ramesh called the move a “cruel joke,” arguing that it fails to address the underlying causes of pollution and offers only temporary relief.

The Delhi Government had earlier announced a pilot project for cloud seeding to bring down particulate matter levels, citing similar efforts in other cities. However, environmental scientists have cautioned that such interventions depend heavily on atmospheric moisture and favourable weather conditions, which are often lacking in Delhi during winter.

They said even if successful, rainfall can only offer short-term improvement unless emissions are consistently reduced through stricter regulation of vehicles, industries and construction activity.

A recent study from the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences at the IIT-Delhi has found that winter conditions in the Capital, marked by low moisture and weak cloud formation, make cloud seeding largely ineffective for reducing pollution. The report said suitable conditions occur rarely, and even when rain is induced, pollution levels rebound within days. It urged long-term emission cuts over costly weather interventions.