Unsatisfactory progress

Air quality in the capital remains unhealthy

The Delhi government’s contention that air pollution during this Diwali was the lowest in the past five years, though backed by credible data, provides only cold comfort. An analysis of the Air Quality Index (AQI) numbers for recent years indeed shows that the air’s content of PM 2.5 (the most harmful tiny pollutants) averaged around 289 on the Diwali day this year, against 958 in 2016, 497 in 2017, and 482 in 2018. Besides, the AQI bulletin of the Central Pollution Control Board also did not list Delhi among the country’s top 10 most polluted cities. In fact, the metropolis is placed only at number 13, with its satellite towns like Noida and Ghaziabad figuring among the top five. This could have been a matter of satisfaction but for the fact that the air quality still fell in the “very poor” to “severe” category with the concentration of pollutants being 16 to 18 times higher than the safe limits, at different times of the day. Thus, the fight against air pollution is still a work-in-progress and there is no room for any laxity.

While both the Centre and the state government are doing their bit to restrain pollution, the role of the people cannot be disregarded. The awareness of this issue, especially among  schoolchildren,  seems to have grown substantially. This was reflected in the reduction in bursting of crackers, as also the pollution caused by them, in many parts of the city in the pre- and post-Diwali period. But, on the Diwali day, even the apex court’s order of using only less polluting, or green crackers between 8 pm and 10 pm was brazenly flouted in many areas.

The torching of paddy residues in the neighbouring states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh is routinely blamed for vitiating  Delhi’s atmosphere. This is true but only partly. The notable point is that stubble burning is a seasonal factor, lasting only three to four weeks, while pollution persists the year-round. This year, the incidence of agricultural fires has surged because the paddy harvesting period has shrunk due to extended monsoon-driven delay in crop maturity. Moreover, a favourable wind direction (northwesterly) has helped the smoke to drift towards the capital, mix with local pollutants and form low-hanging smog. Therefore, while curbing straw flaming is essential, this alone will not rid Delhi of its pollution menace. Enduring results cannot be obtained without taming the local factors, such as vehicular emissions, burning of wastes, dust from construction sites, polluting industries, thermal power plants, diesel-operated power generators and brick kilns. Worthwhile action on this front is woefully inadequate.

Some significant anti-pollution measures that have contributed to gradual reduction in pollution levels over the years include building of eastern and western peripheral highways to reduce the number of vehicles entering Delhi, leapfrogging from the Bharat Stage (BS) IV to BS-VI vehicular fuel and incentives for electric vehicles. A few other steps that have been initiated but need to be pursued with greater vigour are closure of polluting industries and power plants in and around Delhi and introduction of improved technology in the brick kilns. Result-oriented action on all these fronts is vital to make Delhi’s air breathable. Merely grumbling about external factors like farm fires would not serve the purpose.