Delhi pollution: City records nearly 1 lakh complaints over 5 years

Delhi pollution: Nearly one lakh pollution-related complaints have been registered with multiple civic and enforcement agencies in Delhi over the past five years, according to the official data.

The Transport Department, Delhi Fire Services, and the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) reported 100 per cent disposal of complaints received during the period.

The data also highlights lower resolution rate among agencies such as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Military Engineer Services (MES), with the latter resolving only three of the 31 complaints, leaving over 90 per cent pending.

A total of 99,435 pollution-related complaints were received till 11 am on December 18 this year, of which 86,984 were resolved, while 12,451 remain pending across various departments, according to data from the Green Delhi App compiled by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) accounted for the largest share, receiving 63,965 complaints, of which 54,226 were resolved, translating into a resolution rate of 84.77 per cent, while 9,739 cases remain pending, including over 9,600 overdue complaints.

The Public Works Department (PWD) received 14,937 complaints and resolved 13,824 cases, achieving a resolution rate of over 92 per cent, with 1,113 complaints pending.

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This was followed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), which addressed 4,804 of the 5,197 complaints received during the period.

Among agencies with strong compliance records, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) resolved 97.73 per cent of its 3,351 complaints, while the Delhi Police control room (112) disposed of 1,398 out of 1,437 complaints, and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) recorded a resolution rate of 98.83 per cent.

Overall, the data covers complaints from 30 departments, showing that 87.48 per cent of the cases registered between October 2020 and December 18, this year have been resolved, according to the DPCC.

Every winter, Delhi’s air pollution worsens, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) remaining in the “poor” category (above 300) on most days and often slipping into the “severe” category (above 400), affecting even healthy individuals.

In response to rising pollution levels, the Delhi government on Thursday undertook a comprehensive monitoring exercise to assess the impact of stringent pollution-control measures.

Delhi’s air quality was recorded in the “very poor” category on Friday, with the 4 pm 24-hour average AQI standing at 374, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

According to the CPCB, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered “good”, 51–100 “satisfactory”, 101–200 “moderate”, 201–300 “poor”, 301–400 “very poor” and 401–500 “severe”.