New Delhi, Nov 11 (PTI) Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Thursday wrote another letter to his Union counterpart Bhupender Yadav, calling for an emergency meeting with all NCR states to discuss the issue of stubble burning.

There has been no response so far to Rai's first letter dated November 7 in this regard.

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According to the Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality forecast agency SAFAR, stubble burning has accounted for at least 25 per cent of Delhi's PM2.5 pollution for eight days on the trot, starting November 4.

The share of farm fires in Delhi's pollution rose to 48 per cent on Sunday, the highest since November 5, 2018, when it was recorded at 58 per cent.

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“The Centre's intervention is urgently required at this stage to stop the uncontrolled and unabated stubble burning in neighboring states, which is heavily impacting the ambient air quality of Delhi,” Rai wrote in the latest letter.

“There is an accumulation of pollutants in the air shed. The situation has got worse with stubble burning recorded in neighbouring NCR states since last week,” the letter read.

Trans-boundary movement of pollutants from stubble burning has been huge since the start of November, the Delhi minister rued.

“Hence, it is reiterated that an emergency meeting may be convened with environment ministers of all neighbouring states of Delhi to discuss the issue of stubble burning and control air pollution in the region,” he said.

A thick layer of smog shrouded Delhi-NCR on Thursday and partially blotted out the sun on Chhath Puja as the air quality slipped back into the severe zone (AQI 411), with unfavourable meteorological conditions aiding accumulation of pollutants, authorities said.

According to SAFAR, 3,914 farm fires accounted for 26 per cent of Delhi's PM2.5 pollution on Thursday.

Green think tank, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said the ongoing smog episode is a public health emergency.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)