Bad air days back in Delhi

Delhi is reeling under severe air pollution, with the air quality dipping and staying below normal for many days. Pollution has set off and aggravated health problems, and impacted life in the city. The working of schools and many other institutions has been disrupted.

AQI (Air Quality Index) levels have crossed the Severe Plus mark, prompting the implementation of measures under Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

The Supreme Court has rapped the Delhi government for the delay in the implementation of mitigation measures which include a ban on entry of trucks and a temporary halt on construction of public projects.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) issued the order as the AQI worsened, rising to 500 at places while the normal level is 100 or below. It is an air emergency in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Severe air pollution is an annual crisis for Delhi during the winter months, but its air quality remains bad all through the year. Delhi has kept its dubious place as one of the world’s most polluted cities for many years. 

Its air quality deteriorates badly in the winter months when the burning of stubble – following the harvest in Punjab and Haryana – brings a large amount of polluting matter to the city.

Efforts to reduce the stubble-burning have not largely succeeded for technical, financial, and other reasons. The farmers need to clear their farms before they sow the next crop and there is a need to identify viable solutions that would, at once, protect the farmers’ interests and help avoid pollution. Many years of thinking, planning, and programmes have not helped much. This is a failure of successive governments and relevant authorities.

Why is pollution so intense in the city? There are reasons specific to Delhi, including the rise in the number of vehicles and construction activities, the use of firecrackers during festivals, and exhausts from certain industries. 

Measures such as regulation of traffic, cloud seeding, use of drones and fogging machines, sprinkling of water, and airshed management have been tried out, without much success.

For a viable, long-term resolution, Delhi will need a convergence of strong political will, cooperation and coordination among Central and state governments and other agencies, clear and comprehensive strategies, and support from the public.

Governments and agencies are in a familiar blame game now and are trying to shirk responsibility. The fight against pollution is relentless and not limited to the winter months. Many other cities, and even small towns, in India are facing the rising threat of pollution. The stakeholders have already lost a lot of time exploring seasonal, temporary solutions.