Delhi’s Air Pollution: Experts demand long-term solutions over quick fixes

Delhi’s air pollution crisis has reached a critical point, with experts cautioning that short-term, costly measures like smog towers and cloud seeding are insufficient. As the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) soars to hazardous levels— surpassing WHO safe limits by over 100 times—environmentalists are urging immediate, long-term strategies to tackle the capital’s severe pollution problem.

Authorities must refrain from relying on temporary fixes such as expensive smog towers, tools like “happy seeders,” or wasteful expenditures on cloud seeding, which offer limited results and fail to address the root causes of air pollution, experts emphasise.

Speaking to Patriot, Bhavreen Khandhari, an environmental activist, said, “To address air pollution in India, we need a broad, long-term plan that goes beyond ad hoc solutions. Solving this issue requires us to rethink our approach across areas like clean energy, waste management, poverty reduction goals, agriculture, and mobility policies.”

“Air pollution can’t be solved with short-term technology solutions. Instead, we need to focus on a long-term strategy that relies on expert guidance and sets clear goals along the way,” she said.

Khandhari stated, “In order to fight air pollution, we need to move beyond just focusing on cities and adopt an ‘airshed’ approach. Air pollution travels across regions, crossing boundaries based on climate and geography.”

“While the CAQM Act grants the necessary powers, it really isn’t being utilised,” she asserted.

“State Pollution Control Boards across the country are short-staffed with vacant posts and are not equipped to handle the problem, often focusing on permits and loose enforcement of industrial standards,” the environmentalist added.

“We must avoid relying on temporary solutions like expensive smog towers, tools like ‘happy seeders,’ or wasteful expenditures on ‘cloud seeding,’ which are costly and offer limited results,” she stressed.

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Giving details about the measures that need to be taken to curb pollution, Khandhari said, “Instead, reducing air pollution in India will take committed action for years and political will. India starts from a tougher position than other countries that have tackled air pollution, but we can learn from global experiences about what works.”

Khandhari said that, “Cutting emissions at the source, whether in homes or industries, and ensuring equity and fairness in decision-making are crucial.”

“After all, air pollution affects everyone, but more so the vulnerable”, she added.

Another environmentalist specialising in the field of water and air pollution, Varun Gulati, said, “Delhi chokes due to poor air quality in winters, which is caused by several factors, one of them mainly being industrial activities, particularly those involving coal and biomass burning.”

Shedding light on the factors contributing to the national capital’s poor air quality, Gulati said, “Factories located in and around the city contribute to toxic pollutants, exacerbating the already poor air quality. It’s worth mentioning that hundreds of illegal units are operational, mainly in surrounding areas like Sonipat, Bahadurgarh, and Ghaziabad, which use unapproved fuel in their furnaces and boilers throughout the year, contributing to severe air pollution by emitting hazardous smoke.”

“Most commonly, there are some thermal power plants of Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited (HPGCL) at Hisar, Panipat, and Yamunanagar, which emit poisonous gases throughout the year, while Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) installed by these power plants are merely an eyewash,” Gulati added.

Bhuwam Bhaskar, an environmentalist, said, “Currently, in Delhi and other parts of the country, air pollution control measures include using smoke guns to trap pollutants. These guns help to suppress pollutants by making them heavier, but the government is also considering cloud seeding as a potential solution.”

Informing about the potential destruction caused by cloud seeding, Bhaskar said, “Cloud seeding must be managed very carefully, or it could lead to situations like in Dubai, where it caused severe rainfall. Proper planning involving meteorological and environmental expertise is essential for the successful implementation of this technique.”

“Another significant measure is the BioCNG scheme, which converts agricultural waste into compressed biogas. Despite the government issuing over 400 Letters of Intent (LOIs) with subsidies, only about 10-15% of these projects are running efficiently. If effectively implemented, BioCNG could address stubble burning by turning waste into a valuable resource, thus reducing pollution,” he said.

“The odd-even scheme is another approach aimed at reducing vehicle emissions, which are a major pollution source in Delhi. CNG adoption has already lowered pollution levels significantly by replacing diesel vehicles,” he added.

“Cloud seeding is being considered due to its potential to influence air movement and mitigate pollution. However, if we can manage air movement without introducing additional pollutants, cloud seeding may become unnecessary. Relying on artificial methods like cloud seeding can alter the microclimate and, if done consistently every November, might impact the macroclimate.

While cloud seeding offers a short term solution, transforming waste into a resource presents a more sustainable approach to addressing pollution issues,” Bhaskar added.

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Delhi’s AQI surpassed WHO safe limit by 100 times in 2023

On November 4, 2023, Delhi was engulfed in a dense layer of toxic smog as the city’s air quality plummeted to hazardous levels. The air quality index (AQI) neared 500, exceeding the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) safe limits by over 100 times.

This sharp decline was mainly due to increased stubble burning in neighbouring states, Haryana and Punjab, during the crop planting season. The pollutants, carried by adverse winds and combined with falling temperatures, trapped particulate matter in the air, worsening the situation.

Delhi tops global pollution rankings with highest PM2.5 levels

Last year, Delhi was ranked as the world’s most polluted capital city and the third most polluted city in India based on PM2.5 levels, according to the World Air Quality Report 2023.

This report, compiled by IQAir—a Swiss company specialising in air quality technology—relies on data from global monitoring stations operated by government agencies, educational institutions, and non profit organisations.

In 2023, Delhi’s annual average PM2.5 level was 92.7 µg/m³, the highest among 114 global capitals. Dhaka, Bangladesh, followed with a PM2.5 level of 80.2 µg/m³.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that annual average PM2.5 levels should not exceed 5 µg/m³.