Environment: Approach has to change, all pollution sources need to be tackled

AQI in Delhi-NCR repeatedly slipped into ‘Very Poor’ and ‘Severe’ categories. (Express)

This winter, despite anti-pollution curbs being in place and a dip in farm fires — lowest in five years — the air quality index in Delhi-NCR repeatedly slipped into the ‘Very Poor’ and ‘Severe’ categories.

The year saw the most visible public outcry in the recent past over the pollution crisis. Starting from the November protest at the India Gate, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta being met with “AQI, AQI” chants at an event hosting the football player Lionel Messi to the mounting petitions landing up in the Supreme Court seeking that the crisis be declared as a national public health emergency.

Even when the source apportionment study that the Capital relies on is seven years old and requires updation, studies have underlined that the air pollution crisis is not limited to winter. Residents of Delhi-NCR are exposed to a mix of emissions from traffic, industry, waste burning and household fuels, along with dust from roads and construction sites. The challenge for 2026 is whether the region can move beyond short, winter-heavy emergency responses to year-round, measurable reductions across sectors.

Under the National Clean Air Programme, certain cities, including Delhi, are expected to achieve a 40% reduction in PM10 levels by 2026. However, an assessment by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) has found that Delhi reduced PM10 by only about 12% over six years since the programme’s launch.

A World Bank assessment released this year on pollution in the Indo-Gangetic Plain has pointed out why progress has been slow. Transport contributes between 10% and 40% of PM2.5 pollution and is the single largest source in cities like Delhi. The report links this to ageing vehicle fleets, rising private vehicle use and gaps in public transport.

Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director (Research and Advocacy) at the Centre for Science and Environment, said, “We cannot talk about air quality management in isolation without understanding how it is impacting people’s health. The approach to air quality management has to alter fundamentally.”

She added that there is a need to fix the fundamental systems across all key sectors of pollution. “We have a clear idea of the sources, so each and every sector requires a target. Delhi requires another 60% reduction to meet the national clean air standard for PM2.5. There is a real need to leapfrog and build solutions…”