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Tackling The Air Pollution Crisis In Delhi – Analysis

By Rumi Aijaz Air pollution in Delhi and the surrounding region has become a common phenomenon. With some variations, it is experienced annually. During the monsoon season from June to September, for example, air pollution is minimal, as the frequent rainfall does not allow it to spread or rise. However, its intensity increases by many times during the remaining months. The worst air quality is experienced during the winter months from October to February. The occurrence of extreme air pollution in the Delhi region is a matter of great concern. It is affecting living beings and nature in various ways. The most common indications of this problem are poor visibility, difficulty in breathing, respiratory ailments in a large population, the deteriorating quality of surface water, and a disruption in city activities. Media houses, political parties, and interest groups discuss and highlight this issue every year during peak periods. To control the problem, the Supreme Court, national government and city administration have intervened in various ways and applied numerous solutions based on sources of air pollution. It has been learnt that the air pollution phenomenon occurs due to a combination of human and natural factors. The Delhi region is India’s most populous, and its large population is engaged in various activities—travel, construction and manufacturing, agriculture, electricity generation and consumption, sanitation, and the celebration of festivals. Many of these activities are carried out in an environmentally unfriendly manner, which results in the generation of dust and the release of pollutants in the air. The transport, construction, and agriculture sectors are the most significant sources of air pollution in the region. Large numbers of motor vehicles run on fossil fuels, and there are inefficiencies in vehicle maintenance as well as traffic management. In construction activity, enormous dust is generated because the development agencies do not cover newly developing structures properly. With regards to agriculture, it is noted that there is a practice of paddy and wheat residue (stubble) burning by farmers in the surrounding states of Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh. While the farmers find this method quick and convenient for clearing the fields for sowing new crops, it is a major source of air pollution in Delhi. Additionally, there is the practice of municipal solid waste burning for its convenient disposal. Further, poor people and security guards, who spend their nights outside in the open, burn leaves and dry wood to protect themselves from the cold during winter months, which emits pollutants. Yet another source is firecrackers. Their relentless bursting at night time for a week during the Diwali festival causes toxic smog every year in the winter season. Air quality index (AQI) values increase phenomenally during this period since polluted air gets trapped in a lower layer of the atmosphere during winter. The other human factor is related to deficiencies in urban planning and development. At many places, sand is loose on vacant lands as the Delhi region generally remains dry, and gusty surface winds blow dust in all directions. This dust settles on the road corridors and is spread by passing motor vehicles. This problem is further aggravated by dust coming to the region from far-off places, including deserts in the Arabian Peninsula and Rajasthan. These prevailing conditions create problems for both the motorists and the walking population. Over the years, government agencies have done a lot of work, both on paper and on the ground, to address the problem. A review of available information shows that laws and policies have been formulated for various pollution-emitting sources. Actions on the ground include the relocation of polluting industrial units away from Delhi, phasing out the use of old motor vehicles, a switchover of all public transport vehicles from diesel to compressed natural gas (CNG), the switchover of private and commercial vehicles to cleaner fuels, the introduction of electric vehicles, the mechanised sweeping of roadsides, the installation of solar power systems, and the installation of air quality monitoring stations. Previous and ongoing interventions have helped in addressing the issue to some extent, but the magnitude of the problem is enormous due to the improper conduct of human activities. Hence, a significant improvement on the ground is not visible. Over the last few years, the graded response action plan (GRAP) has been applied whenever air quality deteriorates in the NCR region. In this plan, the concerned government and private agencies (i.e. pollution control boards, construction agencies, the transport department, traffic police, municipalities and power distribution companies), resident welfare associations, plot owners, and individuals are directed to conduct (or discontinue) certain actions and activities as per GRAP guidelines, to help combat pollution. Thus, when AQI values rise beyond 200, or the ‘moderate’ level, a series of measures are applied. These measures are grouped under four stages, depending on the intensity of pollution. For example, when pollution is less, concerned agencies are required to ensure greater work efficiency in activities related to construction and demolition (C&D), cleaning of roads, and traffic management. With a further increase in pollution, additional measures are invoked, such as an increase in parking fees in public areas, a ban on C&D activities, the discontinuation of physical classes in educational institutions, a ban on the entry of trucks and inter-state buses running on inferior fuels in Delhi, a shift to work from home, and the introduction of an odd-even motor vehicle scheme. The citizens are also informed about the do’s and don’ts through a citizen charter. Accordingly, when the fourth stage of GRAP was applied in Delhi in November 2024, students were asked to shift to online modes of education, people’s travel in motor vehicles was restricted, the entry of polluting goods vehicles (carrying non-essential products) was stopped, road/building construction activities came to a standstill, and parking fees in public areas was hiked. In other words, many activities could not function properly, which impacted the lives of people in various ways. Yet again, on 17 December 2024, the fourth stage of GRAP was applied because AQI values increased to over 400 in many crowded areas of Delhi, including Anand Vihar and Rohini. In the prevailing conditions, the city agencies must demonstrate greater efficiency in addressing the issue of air pollution. This achievement is dependent on sufficient support received from the national government, as well as the citizens who have to abide by the rules. To reduce air pollution in the Delhi region, the following work is required: The regional public transportation system must be improved. Bus services are not available within walking distance in Gurugram, and people have to fend for themselves. Moreover, integration of public transport modes is lacking at many metro rail stations. The quality, frequency and safety of bus services need improvement. The fare system in auto rickshaws requires regulation. Such deficiencies have led to a phenomenal growth in private motor vehicles. The road and building construction agencies must comply with dust control measures. During construction, building structures should be properly covered with green barriers, and water sprinkling should be used to prevent dust from spreading. The practice of stubble burning in agriculture fields must be stopped. Just like the solid waste collection in urban areas, a system for the collection of agricultural waste needs to be developed. The cultivators and agricultural workers can be asked to cut and collect waste, which can be deposited by them in collection centres for disposal in an environmentally friendly manner. In return, some incentives can be offered to the farming community. Illegally operating polluting economic activities in the region, including small industrial units, must be identified, and the owners must receive support to switch over to cleaner forms of energy. About the author: Rumi Aijaz is a Senior Fellow with the Urban Policy Research Initiative at the Observer Research Foundation Source: This article was published at the Observer Research Foundation