Kejriwal, Danish ambassador discuss measures for round-the-clock water supply, clean air in Delhi

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Denmark Ambassador Freddy Swain on Friday discussed avenues for collaboration in round-the-clock tap water supply, air purity and world-class roads here, an official statement said. Kejriwal asked Swain for a presentation on Denmark's efforts on recharging groundwater and reducing air pollution so that the Delhi government could work with the European country in implementing it in the national capital.

Underlining that he wants Delhi's roads to be world class, Kejriwal shared that the government is redeveloping 500 km roads in the national capital as per European standards.

"We can collaborate with Denmark on the road beautification project if need be," he said.


"We are aiming to beautify Delhi's 500-kilometre-long roads in the style of European countries. We have chosen a few routes in Delhi for a pilot project, and progress at these sites is in full swing. There appears to be ample room for improvement and suggestions in our initiative. Therefore, we are excited to collaborate with Denmark on road infrastructure. We wish to learn from the improvements Denmark has made to its road infrastructure and integrate those in our projects for better results," Kejriwal said.

Swain praised the city government's efforts in reducing air pollution, the statement said.

The Danish ambassador was especially "fond" of the Delhi government's electric vehicle policy. He also appreciated the e-auto project of the Delhi government and mentioned that he has had the pleasure of driving an e-auto, which he found to be both enjoyable and exciting, it said.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was also present during the meeting.

Swain was accompanied by Anitha Kumari Sharma, the Embassy of Denmark's Urban Development Counselor.

Kejriwal also said his government was working on groundwater recharge and was of the opinion that it could do a better job in collaboration with Denmark in this area.

He said that there is a huge potential in Delhi to harvest rainwater and use it in meeting the city's water requirements.

On reducing air pollution, Kejriwal said, "Our government is working with a lot of seriousness to ensure that our citizens of Delhi get pure air... The results of our initiatives are visible... We are promoting electric vehicles in Delhi to control air pollution. For this, we have also implemented an EV policy under which a subsidy is being given to citizens."

Sisodia said 12 per cent of the new vehicles that are being registered off late are EVs.