New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday asserted that there is a "very strong correlation" between stubble burning and pollution in north India as he attributed the improvement in air quality to dip in cases of setting crop residue afire. Kejriwal and the ruling AAP have been at the forefront of blaming stubble burning in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana as one of the major reasons for high levels of air pollution during winters in Delhi. "A very strong correlation can be seen between stubble burning and the spike in air pollution in North India. As soon as stubble burning began in the first week of Oct, the AQI started rising. Now that burning is coming to an end, air quality is also improving" the chief minister tweeted. His tweet came in reply to pictures of farm fires posted by Jadmine Shah, vice chairman of Delhi Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC), a policy think tank of the city government. "AQI levels dip to below 200 (Moderate level) in most parts of Delhi, exactly as farm fires reduce to a handful in Punjab, Haryana and UP. These pictures from 10am today say it all," Shah tweeted along with pictures. In another tweet, the chief minister said, "The stubble burning has stopped and with it, the air quality in Delhi has improved. A few people say that stubble burning contributes only 5 per cent to air pollution in Delhi. So with reduction of only 5 per cent, has the air quality index improved from over 500 to 200? Rather than doing politics on pollution, there is a need to address the issue together with good intentions". Meanwhile, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday termed "false and politically motivated" a BIS report which stated that drinking water in the national capital failed quality tests. Union Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Saturday released the second phase of the Bureau of Indian Standardisation (BIS) study which stated that Delhi along with Kolkata and Chennai failed in almost 10 out of 11 quality parameters of drinking water. On Sunday, posters were seen in parts of Delhi bashing the AAP government for forcing people to drink "poisonous" water. Posting a picture of one such poster, Health Minister and Chandni Chowk MP Harsh Vardhan tweeted, "Arvind Kejriwal is giving poison to the people of Delhi in the name of free water supply. Delhi water was found to be the most poisonous in a survey of 20 cities. The AAP government is making tall claims of development but has failed to even provide safe drinking water to the people." Replying to Vardhans post, Kejriwal said, "Sir, you are a doctor. You know this report is false and politically motivated. A person like you should not become a part of such dirty politics," said Kejriwal, who is the chairman of the national capitals water utility, Delhi Jal Board.

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