New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday blamed air pollution in the city for spike in Covid-19 cases and said that the situation should be brought under control in next 7-10 days.

Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said, “COVID-19 cases have been increasing for the last few days. I am also concerned about it. We have been taking all the appropriate measures to control it. We are considering taking more steps next week. I think the situation is expected to come under control in 7-10 days and the cases will start decreasing.”

“Pollution is one of the reasons behind the sudden spike in COVID19 cases,” the Chief Minister added.

In last few days, the capital was witnessed sudden surge in Coronavirus cases, with more than 7,000-8,000 cases on daily basis. Delhi’s total tally has crossed 4.65 lakh. With 104 more fatalities in the same period, the highest in over 5 months, death toll rose to 7,332, health officials said.

Referring to stubble burning in Delhi-NCR and states like Haryana & Punjab, Kejriwal said that pollution not just affected Delhi residents but also residents of these states.

Referring to Pusa bio-decomposer which Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) has created, the CM asked governments of neighbouring states to join hands and fight pollution menace together. He said it was time for the governments to implement IARI’s solution and help the farmers.

“The Delhi government will submit the report along with a petition to Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region (NCR) and adjoining areas, and urge it to issue directions to all state governments to implement it,” the Chief Minister said.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality on Friday was recorded in the ‘very poor’ category, as per the data released by System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).