With plummeting air quality in the Delhi-NCR region, residents are urged to use public transport, and avoid any dust-generating activities.
On Monday, October 21, the national capital's daily average AQI stood at 310, and owing to that, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) imposed GRAP-II in Delhi NCR. For those caught unaware, all measures under Stage II of GRAP have been activated since the air quality has reached the "Very Poor" category.
Citizens too have been asked to follow several steps to help improve air quality, be it using public transport and minimising personal vehicle use, or avoiding any dust-generating construction activities. Authorities in Delhi too have been keen to curb the rising air pollution levels, including water sprinkling, providing uninterrupted power supply, synchronisation of traffic movements, increased frequency of metro services, and much more.
Nonetheless, it cannot be ruled out that the air quality in Delhi deteriorates each year before winter, and it is mainly due to farm fires and pollutants. In the national capital region (NCR), the air quality remains dangerous for citizens, who suffer from respiratory issues and any life-threatening illnesses.
Not just Indian cities, leading cities across the globe have been facing challenges to keep air pollution in check as air pollution poses a major health risk globally. In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how tackling air pollution is vital since there is a direct link between air pollution and respiratory illness.
Be it Delhi, or London or Chicago, air pollution in the fastest-growing urban areas can be attributed to more residents, cars, fossil fuel and biomass burning, apart from ongoing construction and erratic disposal of waste. So as Delhi-NCR grapples with poor air quality, the Indian government certainly needs to reassess its current and past efforts to improve air quality.
If we go back to the early 1990s, Mexico City was considered to be one of the world’s most polluted cities, but by 2018, its air quality improved. China’s capital city of Beijing also was on the list of the world’s most polluted cities, but managed to curb it. And so has been New Delhi. While New Delhi was successful in tackling poor air quality in the late 1990s, thanks to its transportation fuel conversion program, the air quality levels in the Delhi-NCR region have gone down since then. To wrap up, there are three key elements for success in dealing with worsening air quality, which Delhi-NCR can learn from:
With detailed information provided to the citizens, there are better chances to deal with the ongoing situation. For instance, in Mexico City, the impacts of air pollution on children’s health was analysed and the idea gained public support to adapt a better air quality management strategy. It also allowed them to take prevention measures and to ask for change. And in Beijing too, public data at industrial locations and power plants made sure that the regulators were accountable.
It is vital that necessary incentives and funds to state and city governments are allocated so that they can come up with proper implementation of air quality management programs. Failure to provide such incentives in India have, over the years, led to plans being developed but not implemented. In Beijing, national government funds gave subsidies and rebates to those who chose alternative modes to curb air pollution, such as low-cost loans to people buying efficient vehicles.
With the right policies and information in place along with strict jurisdiction, air quality can certainly be improved substantially. Continuous commitment towards citizens and their need to breathe clean air must be a priority, with comprehensive programs implemented across sectors.
