Delhi’s winter air improves but more needs to be done

This winter, signs in Delhi indicate that the number of days in ‘severe’ and ‘very poor’ air pollution categories is comparatively less, as compared to the previous winter. This is encouraging, as the capital has to battle winter pollution every year – the air is laced with toxic emissions and dust from vehicles, industries, landfill fires and ongoing construction. The cool and calm weather and inversion traps this pollution and worsens the health risk. To meet the challenge, Delhi has gone on an ‘emergency mode’ for the second year in a row.  

While this is shaving off the pollution peak, the clean air benchmark remains distant. The question now is this: is Delhi prepared for round-the-year action?

This year, Delhi has moved to become coal power-free, shut down diesel generators, put curbs on biomass use and brick kilns and halted trucks and construction on smog episodes. This mirrors desperate measures that other global cities take when pollution crosses the safe mark. However, there have been gaps in implementation of the emergency plan.  

The city could not completely stop burning of waste or construction activities. It could not intensify public transport services or hike parking fees. Diesel generators could not be banned all over NCR due to unreliable electricity supply. Inadequate municipal services and lack of systemic reforms proved to be key barriers to these measures, signalling the need for sustained round-the-year action.    

The din over winter pollution has detracted attention from the Comprehensive Action Plan that was notified last year. This plan is asking for clean energy transition in all sectors, mobility transition and overhaul of waste management practices.  

With both emergency and comprehensive plans in place, we know what to do, whom to hold responsible and have a time line for implementation.  

But implementation will still remain a challenge. Currently, barriers are mostly understood as lack of political will and resource crunch that are certainly very valid. But action is falling through several other cracks.

So far, it has been possible to some extent – despite serious push back from the industry - to implement measures in the organised sector.

We could improve emission standards for vehicles and fuels, close coal power plants in public sector, ban petcoke and furnace oil, get CNG buses for state transport undertaking, natural gas for the Bawana power plant and so on.  

While these measures need to get even more stringent, the measures that require strong municipal intervention like waste and dust management, parking rules, action on small construction, footpath management or compliance measures in small industrial units, have remained a serious problem.

Polluting activities in unauthorised colonies are not even acknowledged.

Weak capacity and lack of accountability of municipalities are responsible for this. But there is also the stark reality that with only little over a quarter of Delhi’s population living in planned colonies, access to municipal services for most is hugely iniquitous and inadequate.

Another challenge is that several solutions have moved beyond technology to designing of strategies. It is easier to explain the need for CNG or electric vehicles than the complex design solutions for roads or right of way for all, multi-modal integration, urban redevelopment projects and parking area management plans.

It is easier to increase bus numbers than improve bus service, ask for cleaner fuels in industry than get differential pricing of fuels, penal action on waste burning than implementation of bye-laws on decentralised segregation and recycling, ban on dumping of construction and demolition (C&D) waste than market uptake of recycled C&D waste. Join these dots.

Global action demonstrates sustained systemic changes at a scale to meet clean air targets. Beijing, in order to meet 25 per cent pollution reduction target, has curtailed coal consumption substantially across sectors, restructured industry, scaled up public transport and even capped car sales.

Delhi needs equally stringent action, as it has to reduce particulate pollution by 70 per cent to meet clean air standards.  

Ultimately, growing public concern for polluted air must turn into stronger public support for lifestyle changes. Opting for public transport, walking and cycling, ensuring community-level waste management, demanding accountability and public disclosure on compliance in all sectors must define public action.  

This bottom up pressure can make politics work for clean air.  

Author is Executive Director (Research and Advocacy) at the Centre for Science and Environment