Union Environment Minister Anil Dave on Monday said Delhi was responsible for up to 80% of the pollution that the Capital has been grappling with recently. He made the statement after meeting the environment ministers of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on Monday, The Indian Express reported.

“Stubble burning is 20% of the problem. Delhi’s responsibility is 80%. Burning of petrol, diesel, coal, wood, dry leaves and of garbage at a waste disposal ground led to pollution in Delhi,” he said, adding that the smoke from fire crackers burnt during Diwali celebrations had made the situation worse.

Dave’s statement was in sharp contrast with that of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s, who had held that smoke from crop burning in states around Delhi had majorly contributed to the rise in pollution in the region. The Union minister said, “Sensationalism and blame game have become a strategy. People are having trouble breathing. Deal with that first. I want that the states to carry out their responsibilities.”

Agriculture Minister of Punjab – where state elections will be held next year – Tota Singh also dismissed Delhi government’s allegations, PTI reported. “This is aimed at tarnishing the image of Punjab and Haryana. We have statistics to prove that the situation in Delhi is its own doing. Crop burning is not a reason at all.” The National Green Tribunal has asked the four neighbouring states of Delhi to submit reports about crop burning in the states.

The Aam Aadmi Party government has issued a health advisory for its citizens, following extremely hazardous levels of air pollution in the NCR over the last eight days. The government has asked people, especially those with lung diseases, to "avoid highly-polluted areas", and immediately see a doctor if they experience "breathlessness, giddiness, chest pain, constriction of lungs, or irritation in eyes".

The state government also reached out to the Centre on Monday and urged it to consider engineering artificial rain over the region. Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain met Dave and mooted the idea. However, the Union minister said the “workability” of the system needed to be examined before it could be implemented.

The air quality in the National Capital Region has dropped significantly since the city celebrated Diwali on October 30. It was made worse by cooler temperatures and lack of winds, which causes a harmful mix of respirable pollutants and toxic gases to remain close to the surface. The Centre for Science and Environment had said that Delhi has not been affected by such levels of smog in the last 17 years.