On a chokehold

As Delhi woke to a suffocating blanket of smog this Sunday, its air quality spiralled into the “severe” category for the first time this winter. The delayed arrival of extreme pollution this year offers no solace, as average PM 2.5 levels are at their highest in five years. The alarming persistence of bad air quality, even beyond the stubble-burning season, underlines a stark truth: Delhi’s approach to tackling air pollution is woefully inadequate, and its reliance on stopgap solutions is a recipe for failure.

The city’s experiments with smog towers, water sprinklers, and cloud seeding exemplify the shortsightedness of its policies. Smog towers, heralded as technological marvels, have limited efficacy, addressing pollution only in their immediate vicinity. The lack of transparency regarding their emissions adds another layer of concern. Water sprinklers and drones, while visually reassuring, do little to address the root causes of pollution. These measures amount to little more than performative action, distracting from the urgent need for systemic, science-based solutions.

A glaring omission in Delhi’s strategy is the absence of an effective institutional framework for sustained action. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), established as Delhi’s nodal pollution control agency three years ago, has fallen short of expectations. Instead of championing data-driven, long-term interventions, it has largely functioned as a regulatory body, reacting to emergencies rather than preempting them. For a city choking under the weight of its air pollution, such bureaucratic inertia is unacceptable.

The broader problem lies in the piecemeal approach to pollution control. Farm fires in Haryana and Punjab, while declining, continue to contribute to seasonal spikes in pollution. However, Delhi’s persistent poor air quality even outside these peak periods suggests deeper structural issues. Municipal measures like water sprinkling in Chandigarh, which recorded the second-worst air quality in the country, highlight the inadequacy of localized responses. Effective air quality management demands a regional perspective that connects pollution sources across urban and rural divides. This is where CAQM must step in with airshed management solutions, a globally recognized strategy for addressing cross-regional pollution hotspots.

The central government and state agencies must also recognize that Delhi’s pollution crisis is not merely a seasonal problem. The focus on stubble burning, while important, has overshadowed critical issues such as vehicular emissions, construction dust, and industrial pollutants. Instead of waiting for the smog to descend every winter, authorities must prioritize proactive measures like enhancing public transport, enforcing stricter vehicular emissions norms, and promoting green construction practices.

Delhi’s residents deserve more than band-aid solutions to their chronic air quality woes. A paradigm shift toward comprehensive, collaborative, and sustained action is imperative. Anything less would condemn the city to a perpetual cycle of suffocation and crisis.