In 1996, the Centre for Science and Environment published "Slow Murder: The Deadly Story of Vehicular Pollution in India", highlighting the health risks associated with vehicle exhaust.
सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट की मार्च 2025 में जारी रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, अक्टूबर 2024 से जनवरी 2025 के बीच दिल्ली, मुंबई, कोलकाता, बेंगलुरु, हैदराबाद और चेन्नई में पीएम 2.5 प्रदूषण की समस्या सामने आई. दिल्ली में इस अवधि का औसत स्तर लगभग 175 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर रहा. रिपोर्ट ने यह भी बताया कि मुंबई, चेन्नई और बेंगलुरु जैसे शहरों में सर्दियों के दौरान कई स्थानों पर स्थानीय प्रदूषण तेजी से बढ़ा.
सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) की मार्च 2025 में जारी रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, अक्टूबर 2024 से जनवरी 2025 के बीच दिल्ली, मुंबई, कोलकाता, बेंगलुरु, हैदराबाद और चेन्नई में पीएम 2.5 प्रदूषण की समस्या सामने आई. दिल्ली में इस अवधि का औसत स्तर लगभग 175 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर रहा.
Shambhavi Shukla, programme manager for Clean Air and Sustainable Mobility at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), emphasised that GRAP plays a crucial role in managing pollution peaks. As the AQI surpasses thresholds of 300, 400, and 450, increasingly stringent measures are implemented to curb emissions and prevent further deterioration.
According to the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) the rapid warming of the Western Himalayas is outpacing global averages resulting in the thawing of the deep permafrost that holds steep mountain walls together. Without this frozen structural glue, the risk of massive rockfalls, landslides, and debris flows spikes dramatically during summer. The threat in the Himalayan region is not uniform. Certain geographic zones are highly vulnerable to these compounding climate drivers. In India, the states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Sikkim are on high alert. The Teesta River basin in Sikkim remains fragile following the devastating South Lhonak lake burst, while Uttarakhand’s steep valleys—home to major pilgrimage routes and massive infrastructure projects—face persistent landslide risks.
सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) में स्वच्छ वायु एवं सतत गतिशीलता कार्यक्रम की कार्यक्रम प्रबंधक शांभवी शुक्ला के मुताबिक, प्रदूषित हवा प्रशासनिक सीमाएं नहीं देखती। उत्तर प्रदेश और हरियाणा से आने वाला प्रदूषण दिल्ली को प्रभावित करता है, जबकि दिल्ली की हवा भी पड़ोसी क्षेत्रों पर असर डालती है। इसलिए पूरे एनसीआर को एक इकाई मानकर रणनीति बनानी होगी। वाहनों, उद्योगों और निर्माण गतिविधियों से होने वाले उत्सर्जन पर नियंत्रण के साथ सार्वजनिक परिवहन का नेटवर्क मजबूत करना भी जरूरी है।
साल 1996 में सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट ने 'स्लो मर्डर : द डेडली स्टोरी ऑफ व्हीकुलर पॉल्यूशन इन इंडिया' नामक रिपोर्ट प्रकाशित की, जिसमें वाहनों से निकलने वाले धुएं से जुड़े स्वास्थ्य जोखिमों को रेखांकित किया गया। इसके अगले साल केंद्रीय पर्यावरण मंत्रालय ने दिल्ली में प्रदूषण पर एक श्वेत पत्र जारी किया, जिसमें कार्ययोजना भी शामिल थी। साल 1998 में एक बड़ा बदलाव आया, जब सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने दिल्ली में सार्वजनिक परिवहन की बसों को 31 मार्च, 2001 तक संपीड़ित प्राकृतिक गैस (सीएनजी) पर चलाने का निर्देश दिया। बसों में इस बदलाव को उत्सर्जन कम करने के प्रयासों में एक महत्वपूर्ण पड़ाव माना गया।
दिल्ली में प्रदूषण से राहत की उम्मीद के बीच हवा की गुणवत्ता चिंताजनक बनी हुई है। बृहस्पतिवार रात आठ बजे तक दर्ज आंकड़ों में दिल्ली के 42 निगरानी स्टेशनों में से 32 पर वायु गुणवत्ता सूचकांक (एक्यूआई) 200 के पार रहा। इनमें 31 स्टेशन खराब और एक स्टेशन बहुत खराब श्रेणी में दर्ज किया गया। सबसे अधिक 306 एक्यूआई जहांगीरपुरी में रहा। वहीं, नौ स्टेशनों पर हवा मध्यम श्रेणी में दर्ज की गई। केंद्रीय प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड (सीपीसीबी) के आंकड़ों के अनुसार, प्रदूषण का असर दिल्ली के अलग-अलग हिस्सों में दिखाई दिया। विवेक विहार में एक्यूआई 295, चांदनी चौक में 287, पूसा के आईआईटीएम केंद्र पर 285, सोनिया विहार में 282 और रोहिणी में 281 दर्ज किया गया। बवाना और नरेला में एक्यूआई 270 रहा। पीएम 2.5 का दबदबा प्रदूषकों के स्तर पर भी महीन कणों की मौजूदगी प्रमुख रही। 42 में से 32 स्टेशनों पर पीएम 2.5 प्रमुख प्रदूषक के रूप में दर्ज किया गया, जबकि नौ स्टेशनों पर पीएम 10 प्रमुख रहा। वहीं, मैदान गढ़ी में ओजोन प्रमुख प्रदूषक के रूप में दर्ज हुई। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) के कार्यकारी निदेशक अनुमिता रॉय चौधरी ने बताया कि वाहनों से निकलने वाला धुआं दिल्ली की हवा को पूरे साल प्रभावित करता है। मौसम की प्रतिकूल परिस्थितियां शुरू होते ही इसका असर प्रदूषण के स्तर में अधिक स्पष्ट दिखाई देने लगता है। इसके उलट, पराली जलाने का प्रभाव एक खास अवधि में बढ़ता है। इसका असर इस बात पर भी निर्भर करता है कि पराली जलने वाले क्षेत्रों से हवा दिल्ली की ओर आ रही है या नहीं। आनंद विहार में वाहनों का भारी दबाव, एक्यूआई पहुंचा 190 आनंद विहार में वाहनों के भारी दबाव के चलते हवा एक बार फिर बिगड़ती नजर आ रही है। ताजा आंकड़ों के अनुसार, 22 अक्टूबर को आनंद विहार का एयर क्वालिटी इंडेक्स 190 दर्ज किया गया है। स्थानीय निवासियों और राहगीरों का कहना है कि लगातार रेंगते वाहनों से निकलने वाला धुआं और उड़ती धूल इस क्षेत्र की हवा को लगातार जहरीला बना रही है। आंकड़ों पर नजर डालें तो अक्टूबर में प्रदूषण का ग्राफ लगातार ऊपर-नीचे हो रहा है। इससे पहले 21 अक्टूबर को एक्यूआई 207 और 14 अक्टूबर को 237 तक पहुंच चुका है। संवाद प्रदूषण की शिकायत अनसुनी की तो रोजाना 2000 रुपये जुर्माना औद्योगिक क्षेत्रों में प्रदूषण से जुड़ी शिकायतों को अनदेखा करने पर संबंधित एजेंसी को रोजाना 2000 रुपये जुर्माना चुकाना होगा। डीएसआईआईडीसी ने ग्रीन एप और 311 स्मार्ट सिटी एप पर मिलने वाली शिकायतों का तीन दिन में समाधान अनिवार्य किया है। ओखला औद्योगिक क्षेत्र में सड़कों के गड्ढे भरने और निर्माण मलबा हटाने के लिए काम शुरू होने जा रहा है। दिल्ली राज्य औद्योगिक एवं अवसंरचना विकास निगम ने इसके लिए करीब 1.25 करोड़ रुपये जारी किए हैं। काम की जिम्मेदारी ऐसी एजेंसी को दी जाएगी, जिसे निगम की तय शर्तों और गुणवत्ता के मानकों पर खरा उतरना होगा। काम के दौरान ग्रीन एप या 311 स्मार्ट सिटी ऐप पर प्रदूषण और मलबे से जुड़ी शिकायतों को अनदेखा करने पर एजेंसी को जुर्माना चुकाना पड़ेगा। एजेंसी को छह महीने के भीतर काम पूरा करना है। काम में देरी होने पर एजेंसी पर प्रतिदिन 10 हजार रुपये की पेनल्टी लगाई जाएगी। दिल्ली की सीमाओं पर नियमों का उल्लंघन करने वाले वाहन रोके जाएंगे वायु प्रदूषण को नियंत्रित करने के लिए बृहस्पतिवार को विशेष पुलिस आयुक्त (यातायात) अजय चौधरी की अध्यक्षता में अंतरराज्यीय समन्वय बैठक हुई। इसमें पड़ोसी राज्यों और जिलों की पुलिस तथा संबंधित विभागों के अधिकारी शामिल हुए। बैठक में फैसला लिया गया कि जो अंतरराज्यीय और अंतर शहरी बसें नियमों का पालन नहीं करेंगी, उन्हें दिल्ली की सीमा पर ही दूसरे मार्गों की ओर मोड़ दिया जाएगा। केवल इलेक्ट्रिक, सीएनजी और बीएस-6 मानक वाली डीजल बसों को ही दिल्ली में प्रवेश की अनुमति होगी। प्रतिबंधित वाहनों को अंदर नहीं आने दिया जाएगा। आईआईटीएम के डिसीजन सपोर्ट सिस्टम (डीएसएस) के आंकड़े बताते हैं कि प्रदूषण बढ़ाने में 21 अक्तूबर को परिवहन क्षेत्र का योगदान 21 फीसदी से अधिक था, जबकि बृहस्पतिवार को यह 19 फीसदी से ज्यादा रहा। अगले दो दिनों में इसके 15 से 20 फीसदी के बीच रहने का अनुमान है। वाहनों से होने वाला प्रदूषण दिल्ली की हवा पर दबाव बनाए हुए है। पराली जलाने से होने वाले प्रदूषण की हिस्सेदारी भी बढ़ रही है।
When Shakespeare wrote, “When the hurly-burly’s done,/ When the battle’s lost and won,” he captured perfectly the sentiments of Bengalis after Durga Puja. The biryani and egg roll excesses of the past week are perhaps returning to haunt weak digestive systems, prompting many households to have avid discussions on it at the breakfast table. Excrement, ordinarily excluded from polite conversation, thus becomes a subject of great seriousness around this time. However, this concern about excrement ends with the push of the flush. What happens afterwards deserves some urgent attention because the economic cost of managing human waste is between 5.2% and 6.4% of India’s GDP. There is also a serious agricultural reason to pursue the matter. A 2024 study estimates that phosphorus in human excreta is equivalent to 21% of the phosphorus applied through mineral fertilisers in India. This exposes an expensive absurdity: nutrients needed for cultivation are lost in a substance that municipalities must pay to dispose of. Recovering nutrients from sewage for agricultural use could reduce municipal disposal costs as well as farmers’ fertiliser bills. Calcutta has practical experience of this connection. In the East Calcutta Wetlands, nutrients from the city’s sewage support fish farming and vegetable cultivation, providing food and livelihoods through a system that requires careful management of health risks. The World Health Organization has described this as “productive reuse”. Elsewhere, too, human waste is being reimagined as something that should not go to waste. In Dhenkanal, Odisha, a project documented by the Centre for Science and Environment combines treated biosolids with organic waste in a ratio of one to three. The reported process takes 45–55 days, after which the compost is screened, tested and sold to government departments.
NEW DELHI: An assessment by Commission for Air Quality Management has found that mechanised road sweeping machines (MRSMs) are used to clean only 35-40% of Delhi’s large- and medium-sized roads on an alternate basis against the prescribed norm of covering the entire road network. Delhi has nearly 100 MRSMs against the required 172. In recent meetings, CAQM has repeatedly asked road-owning agencies to use these machines to lift road dust and reduce its resuspension. A senior CAQM official said MRSMs are used to clean roads with a length of about 15,000km. However, a four-lane road has to be cleaned four times, leading to an increase in the total number of kilometres that have to be swept in a day. A machine is used to clean up to 30km in a day as opposed to the requirement of 40km. “Around 70% of Delhi’s total network has roads less than 10 metres wide, which are currently manually swept. The remaining 30% are large- and medium-sized roads. Of these, 35-40% are cleaned using MRSMs on alternate days,” said the official. The machines do not operate on roads that are encroached upon or have vehicles parked illegally. Experts have been demanding that in association with residents and traders, provisions should be made to ensure there is no obstruction on such stretches during cleaning by machines. Dust is a major source of pollution during both summer and winter. A 2018 joint study by The Energy and Resources Institute and Automotive Research Association of India said dust accounts for 42% of PM10 and 38% of PM2.5 pollution in Delhi during summer. In winter, its contribution drops to 25% of PM10 and 17% of PM2.5 pollution. In Feb this year, CAQM issued technical and operational norms for deployment and utilisation of MRSMs. It said an MRSM should be able to operate for at least eight hours on shifts, with the schedule declared in advance for convenience of the public. CAQM specified that large-size and medium-size MRSMs should be able to cover a distance of about 40 running km during an eight-hour shift while a small-size MRSM should cover a distance of 20 running km during a similar shift. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy) at Centre for Science and Environment, said mechanised road sweeping machines have a moderate impact on dust pollution as they primarily lift coarse particles. “They are, however, more effective than manual sweeping, which causes greater resuspension of dust. A major issue with these machines is the lack of clarity on how many have been deployed in pollution hotspots,” she said. Roychowdhury added that the machines are ineffective on roads with potholes or unpaved surfaces and should, therefore, be used alongside a proper road redevelopment programme. An MCD official said, “MRSMs are deployed on roads with right of way (ROW) greater than 60 feet. MCD is procuring 70 MRSMs for roads with ROW more than 30 feet. Narrow roads are swept manually through a fleet of about 60,000 safari karamcharis.”
Delhi’s mechanised road sweeping programme is falling short not simply because the city has too few machines, but because its road network, operating targets and street-level conditions do not yet align with the pollution-control task assigned to it. An assessment by the Commission for Air Quality Management, or CAQM, found that mechanised road sweeping machines clean only 35-40% of the capital’s large and medium-sized roads on alternate days, even though the prescribed norm is to cover the entire road network. The gap is visible in the numbers. Delhi has nearly 100 mechanised road sweeping machines against a stated requirement of 172. The machines are expected to lift road dust before it is resuspended by traffic and wind, but their actual reach is constrained by road width, vehicle parking, encroachments, potholes and unpaved surfaces. The result is a system in which the formal cleaning target is much larger than the network that can be serviced consistently. This matters because road dust is not a minor or seasonal issue in Delhi’s air-quality problem. A 2018 joint study by The Energy and Resources Institute and the Automotive Research Association of India, cited in the report, estimated that dust accounted for 42% of PM10 pollution and 38% of PM2.5 pollution in Delhi during summer. In winter, its contribution was lower but still substantial, at 25% of PM10 and 17% of PM2.5 pollution. The figures do not mean that mechanised sweeping alone can resolve Delhi’s pollution crisis. They show instead why the city’s road-maintenance and street-management systems have become central to air-quality administration. A machine cannot deliver its intended pollution-control benefit if it cannot reach the kerb, if road surfaces are broken, or if parked vehicles and encroachments block the cleaning path. Delhi’s network also creates a measurement problem. A senior CAQM official said the machines are used to clean roads with a combined length of about 15,000 kilometres. But a four-lane road has to be cleaned four times to cover all its lanes, increasing the total distance that must be swept each day. This means that a headline figure based on road length can conceal the operational scale of the task. The relevant question is not only how many kilometres of road exist, but how many running kilometres of lane must be covered, at what frequency and under what physical conditions. CAQM’s own operating norms recognise this distinction. In February, the commission specified that large and medium-sized machines should cover about 40 running kilometres during an eight-hour shift, while small machines should cover 20 running kilometres in the same period. The reported operational performance is lower: a machine cleans up to 30 kilometres a day, compared with the 40-kilometre requirement cited by the official. That shortfall suggests that procurement numbers alone cannot be used as a measure of implementation. Even if the city reaches the stated requirement of 172 machines, the programme will not automatically cover the entire road network unless the machines can complete their scheduled routes. Shift duration, route planning, road access, traffic management and the condition of the carriageway all affect the distance actually cleaned. The distribution of Delhi’s roads makes the challenge sharper. Around 70% of the city’s total road network consists of roads less than 10 metres wide, according to the CAQM official. These roads are currently swept manually. The remaining 30% comprises large and medium-sized roads, of which only 35-40% are cleaned by machines on alternate days. This is not merely a choice between two cleaning methods. It reflects the way the city has divided responsibility between road types and operating systems. Mechanised sweeping has been concentrated on roads with adequate right of way, while narrow streets remain dependent on manual labour. The MCD official quoted in the report said machines are deployed on roads with a right of way greater than 60 feet, while the civic body is procuring 70 machines for roads with a right of way greater than 30 feet. Narrow roads are swept manually by a workforce of about 60,000 sanitation workers. The arrangement leaves a large part of the urban street system outside the mechanised programme. It also shows why machine procurement and sanitation staffing should not be treated as competing solutions. The city has different road geometries and different access constraints. Larger machines may be more productive on open corridors, while smaller electric machines are being considered for narrower roads. Manual sweeping remains the current system for much of the network, but the evidence cited by experts indicates that it can resuspend more dust. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director for research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment, said mechanised sweepers have a moderate impact because they primarily lift coarse particles. She also said they are more effective than manual sweeping, which causes greater resuspension of dust. Her assessment places a limit on what the machines can achieve: they can improve one part of the dust-control chain, but they are not a substitute for repairing roads, managing roadside activity or addressing unpaved surfaces. The physical condition of the road is therefore an institutional issue as much as an engineering issue. Roychowdhury said machines are ineffective on roads with potholes or unpaved surfaces and should be used alongside a proper road redevelopment programme. This links air-quality management to the responsibilities of road-owning agencies, including the maintenance and resurfacing of streets. It also raises a coordination problem. CAQM has repeatedly asked road-owning agencies to use mechanised sweepers to lift road dust and reduce resuspension. The MCD has its own deployment criteria and procurement plans, while the Public Works Department had not immediately responded to the report. The city’s road network is therefore being managed through multiple agencies, each with different assets, road jurisdictions and operational constraints. For residents and traders, the street itself is where these administrative divisions become visible. Experts have called for arrangements with residents and traders to ensure that parked vehicles and other obstructions are removed during scheduled cleaning. CAQM’s February norms also require operating schedules to be declared in advance for public convenience. These provisions indicate that road sweeping is not only a back-end sanitation activity; it depends on public communication and compliance at the time and place of cleaning. The procurement of 30 smaller electric-based machines approved by the Delhi government in September is intended to address part of this problem by cleaning narrower roads. The MCD’s plan to procure 70 machines for roads with a right of way above 30 feet points in the same direction. But the supplied evidence does not establish how quickly these machines will be deployed, which roads will receive priority, or whether their routes will be published and monitored against completed running kilometres. That missing operational information is important. CAQM’s norms specify a measurable daily distance, but the assessment also shows that the city’s real performance depends on whether that distance can be achieved in actual streets. A machine that is available but blocked by illegal parking, unable to operate on a damaged surface or assigned to a route with repeated obstructions does not provide the same pollution-control benefit as a machine completing its scheduled coverage. The data also complicates the idea of complete coverage. If 70% of Delhi’s roads are narrow and manually swept, and only 35-40% of the larger and medium-sized roads receive mechanised cleaning on alternate days, the prescribed norm of covering the entire network remains a system-wide target rather than an achieved condition. The evidence does not show that every road must be cleaned by a machine. It does show that the current combination of machine capacity, route productivity and road access does not meet the stated coverage expectation. Delhi’s dust-control challenge is consequently a test of municipal execution rather than machine ownership alone. The city needs road-owning agencies to coordinate route planning, sanitation operations, parking enforcement, encroachment management and road repairs. The public also needs advance information about cleaning schedules, especially where vehicles and commercial activity routinely occupy the road edge. The CAQM assessment confirms a substantial implementation gap: nearly 100 machines are operating against a stated requirement of 172, mechanised sweeping reaches only 35-40% of large and medium roads on alternate days, and machine productivity is reported below the prescribed 40 running kilometres per shift. What remains to be established is how agencies will measure completed coverage, publish route-level performance and extend cleaning to streets where road design and obstruction currently prevent mechanised access.
India faces an intense environmental challenge, with roughly 600 million people experiencing high to extreme water stress. For decades, the traditional response centered on massive, centralized infrastructure projects like giant dams and transmission pipelines. While important, these large projects are expensive, slow to build, and often fail to reach vulnerable communities. Meanwhile, groundwater is being pumped out much faster than rain can refill it. To bridge these gaps, decentralized water technology is gaining ground by focusing on capturing, treating and managing water locally. The most immediate solution is modern rainwater harvesting. In urban centers like Bengaluru and Chennai, local laws require new buildings to install rooftop harvesting systems. Today, these are paired with Internet-of-Things (IoT) monitors. These smart devices track water levels and quality in real time, alerting leaders via smartphone apps when filters need maintenance. The most immediate and affordable decentralized solution is modern rainwater harvesting. While collecting rain is an ancient practice, new technology has made it far more efficient. In major urban centers like Bengaluru and Chennai, local laws now require new buildings to install rooftop rainwater harvesting systems. On a larger scale, communities use digital mapping to build small check dams and percolation pits across fields. These structures slow down rushing monsoon rainwater, giving it time to naturally refill underground aquifers. Communities are also changing how wastewater is treated by utilizing engineered wetlands and bio-filtration systems right inside neighborhoods. They use specific plants, sand and natural bacteria to clean greywater without harsh chemicals, allowing it to be safely reused to water crops or flush toilets. In response, agencies are introducing stricter rules to limit Reverse Osmosis (RO) purifiers and encourage low-cost, solar-powered disinfection units that kill bacteria in local wells without wasting a single drop. In response, agencies are introducing stricter rules to limit RO use and encourage low-cost, solar-powered disinfection units that kill bacteria in local wells without wasting a single drop. According to Sunita Narain of the Centre for Science and Environment, true water security relies on putting decentralized management technologies directly into the hands of local communities. This shift also requires addressing “bad tech” habits. For years, households relied on home RO purifiers, which can waste up to 75 percent of the water that enters the machine. Everyday people can change how they use water by setting up gutters and storage tanks to catch rain, which significantly lowers municipal bills. Citizens can also join grassroots groups to clean up polluted local lakes, transforming neglected areas back into vibrant water basins.
India faces an intense environmental challenge, with roughly 600 million people experiencing high to extreme water stress. For decades, the traditional response centered on massive, centralized infrastructure projects like giant dams and transmission pipelines. While important, these large projects are expensive, slow to build, and often fail to reach vulnerable communities. Meanwhile, groundwater is being pumped out much faster than rain can refill it. To bridge these gaps, decentralized water technology is gaining ground by focusing on capturing, treating and managing water locally. The most immediate solution is modern rainwater harvesting. In urban centers like Bengaluru and Chennai, local laws require new buildings to install rooftop harvesting systems. Today, these are paired with Internet-of-Things (IoT) monitors. These smart devices track water levels and quality in real time, alerting leaders via smartphone apps when filters need maintenance. The most immediate and affordable decentralized solution is modern rainwater harvesting. While collecting rain is an ancient practice, new technology has made it far more efficient. In major urban centers like Bengaluru and Chennai, local laws now require new buildings to install rooftop rainwater harvesting systems. On a larger scale, communities use digital mapping to build small check dams and percolation pits across fields. These structures slow down rushing monsoon rainwater, giving it time to naturally refill underground aquifers. Communities are also changing how wastewater is treated by utilizing engineered wetlands and bio-filtration systems right inside neighborhoods. They use specific plants, sand and natural bacteria to clean grey water without harsh chemicals, allowing it to be safely reused to water crops or flush toilets. In response, agencies are introducing stricter rules to limit reverse osmosis purifiers and encourage low-cost, solar-powered disinfection units that kill bacteria in local wells without wasting a single drop. According to Sunita Narain of the Centre for Science and Environment, true water security relies on putting decentralized management technologies directly into the hands of local communities. This shift also requires addressing “bad tech” habits. For years, households relied on home RO purifiers, which can waste up to 75% of the water that enters the machine. Everyday people can change how they use water by setting up gutters and storage tanks to catch rain, which significantly lowers municipal bills. Citizens can also join grassroots groups to clean up polluted local lakes, transforming neglected areas back into vibrant water basins.
विवेक चट्टोपाध्याय,पर्यावरण विज्ञानी, सीएसई हर साल अक्तूबर से फरवरी के बीच, उत्तर भारत की भौगोलिक परिस्थिति और मौसमी दशा वायु प्रदूषण को बदतर बना देती हैं। हवा की गुणवत्ता इतनी खराब हो जाती है कि सांस लेना तक मुश्किल हो जाता है। पंजाब से लेकर पश्चिम बंगाल तक फैले सिंधु-गंगा के पूरे मैदानी इलाके में जैसे-जैसे तापमान गिरता है और मानसूनी हवाएं लौटती हैं, वैसे-वैसे भारी हवा प्रदूषण को धरती के पास रोकने लगती है। इससे धुआं और हानिकारक उत्सर्जन वायुमंडल में नीचे ही जमा होने लगते हैं और हवा दमघोंटू बन जाती है। नतीजतन, ग्रैप जैसे उपाय अपनाए जाते हैं। इसी बुधवार से दिल्ली-एनसीआर में ग्रैप-1 की शुरुआत हो गई है। शहर-दर-शहर वायु गुणवत्ता अब चिंता बढ़ाने लगी है। 20 अक्तूबर को दिल्ली का वायु गुणवत्ता सूचकांक (एक्यूआई) 179, यानी मध्यम श्रेणी में था। बुधवार को यह 244 पर पहुंच गया। हवा की गति कम होने पर अगले 10 से 15 दिनों में प्रदूषण और बढ़ सकता है। फिलहाल आसमान साफ होने, हवा में प्रदूषकों के फैलाव के लिए पर्याप्त ऊंचाई होने और अनुकूल वायु प्रवाह के कारण स्थिति नियंत्रण में है, पर अगले कुछ दिनों तक हवा की गुणवत्ता ‘खराब’ श्रेणी में ही रहने का अनुमान है। दिल्ली में पीएम 2.5 का सालाना औसत स्तर लगातार खराब बना हुआ है और यह अभी करीब 100 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घनमीटर है, जो भारत के 40 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घनमीटर के सुरक्षित मानक से काफी अधिक है। विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन के दिशा-निर्देशों के अनुसार, वैश्विक स्तर पर इसकी सुरक्षित सीमा महज पांच माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घनमीटर है। इससे समझा जा सकता है कि प्रदूषण पर काबू पाने में हम कितने पीछे हैं। बेशक, 2021 से 2025 के बीच पीएम 2.5 का वार्षिक औसत स्तर 105 से घटकर 97 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घनमीटर रहा, पर यह अब भी खतरनाक रूप से ऊंचा है। मुश्किल यह है कि हमारा तंत्र वायु प्रदूषण से निपटने के लिए तभी तत्पर होता है, जब प्रदूषण-स्तर खतरनाक सीमा को पार करने लगता है, जबकि पूर्वानुमान के आधार पर पहले से कार्रवाई की जा सकती है। इसके लिए जरूरी है कि दिल्ली-एनसीआर के तमाम शहरों-उप-नगरों के बीच बेहतर तालमेल हो। सवाल है कि गंगा के मैदानी इलाकों में वायु प्रदूषण से कैसे निपटा जाए? चूंकि यह भौगोलिक रूप से एक घिरा हुआ क्षेत्र है, इसलिए यहां प्रदूषण से पार पाने के लिए वैज्ञानिक अध्ययनों के आधार पर नीतियां बनानी होंगी। मसलन, अमेरिका के लॉस एंजिल्स ने, जो पहाड़ों से घिरा हुआ क्षेत्र है, उत्सर्जन की निगरानी करके, स्वच्छ ईंधन अपनाकर और तकनीक आधारित क्षेत्रीय नियामक बनाकर धुंध पर काबू पाया। इतिहास गवाह है कि भारी औद्योगिकीकरण के दौर में भी अधिकारियों को कड़े कानून बनाने पड़े थे। जैसे, 1950 के दशक में लंदन में ‘पी-सूप’ (बहुत घना धुंघ) देखा गया था। इससे निपटने के लिए स्वच्छ ईंधन को बढ़ावा दिया गया और शहरों में कोयले के इस्तेमाल पर रोक लगाई गई। एशिया में बीजिंग एक बड़ा उदाहरण है, जहां के उद्योगों पर सख्त नियम लागू किए गए और समग्र प्रयासों से वहां की वायु गुणवत्ता में उल्लेखनीय सुधार लाया गया। ऐसा नहीं है कि भारत ने प्रयास नहीं किए हैं। दिल्ली-एनसीआर और पूरे देश में प्रदूषण फैलाने वाले स्रोतों के लिए मानक लगातार सख्त किए गए हैं। गाड़ियों के मामले में भी 2017 से 2020 के दरम्यान बीएस-चार से बीएस-छह मानक अपनाए गए। स्वच्छ ईंधन के नियम भी लागू हुए, पर उनके पालन में सख्ती हर जगह एक जैसी नहीं रही। इसी तरह, बिजली संयंत्रों, उद्योगों, कचरा दहन गृहों, घरों में स्वच्छ ईंधन के इस्तेमाल, छोटे औद्योगिक प्रतिष्ठानों और पुरानी गाड़ियों से होने वाले प्रदूषण की समस्या अब भी बनी हुई है। इनसे निपटने के लिए राष्ट्रीय और क्षेत्रीय स्तर पर ठोस कार्ययोजना जरूरी है। हमारे पास ऐसे मानक भी होने चाहिए, जिनसे यह पता चल सके कि उत्सर्जन में कितनी कमी आई है, हवा की गुणवत्ता कितनी बेहतर हुई है और स्वास्थ्य पर किस हद तक प्रतिकूल प्रभाव पड़ रहा है? जरूरी यह भी है कि राष्ट्रीय स्वच्छ वायु कार्यक्रम (एनसीएपी) का लक्ष्य केवल उन शहरों तक सीमित नहीं रहे, जहां प्रदूषण तय मानक से अधिक है। इसमें सभी शहरों को शामिल करना चाहिए। इसी तरह, हमें केवल उन कारणों पर ध्यान नहीं केंद्रित करना चाहिए, जो आसानी से दिखाई देते हैं, जैसे- पराली जलाना। इसके बजाय प्रदूषण के सभी स्रोतों पर काम करना जरूरी है। अध्ययनों के अनुसार, सर्दियों में पीएम 2.5 प्रदूषण का बड़ा कारण ईंधन का जलना व रासायनिक प्रतिक्रियाओं से बनने वाले सूक्ष्म कण हैं। ठहरी हुई हवा एवं हवा की कम गति के कारण धूल का योगदान करीब 15 प्रतिशत रहता है। दिल्ली में प्रदूषण का लगभग एक-तिहाई हिस्सा शहर के अंदर ही पैदा होता है, एक-तिहाई हिस्सा आसपास के जिलों से और बाकी गंगा के मैदानी क्षेत्रों से आता है। इसीलिए, कार्रवाई दिल्ली तक सीमित नहीं रहनी चाहिए, बल्कि पूरे क्षेत्र में होनी चाहिए। पंजाब-हरियाणा में पराली जलाने से उठता धुआं इसका ज्वलंत उदाहरण है, जिससे सर्दियों में हर साल दिल्ली-एनसीआर का दम घुटता है। यहां अक्सर ‘एंटी स्मॉग गन’ और पानी के छिड़काव पर जोर दिया जाता है, लेकिन इनसे हवा में नमी तो बढ़ती है, पर ये प्रदूषण पैदा करने वाले सूक्ष्म कणों को खत्म नहीं कर पाते। टूटे हुए डिवाइडर या रास्तों पर मशीनों से सफाई करने पर अक्सर धूल फिर से हवा में उड़ने लगती है, इसलिए सड़कों की मरम्मत, किनारे पर हरियाली और सर्दियों से पहले डामर का काम करना फायदेमंद होगा। रही बात गाड़ियों से होने वाले प्रदूषण की, तो इसे रोकने के लिए गंगा के पूरे मैदानी क्षेत्र में सख्ती बरतनी होगी। पुराने डीजल ट्रक एक से दूसरे शहर में पहुंच जाते हैं और वहां प्रदूषण फैलाते हैं, इसलिए प्रदूषण जांच केंद्रों की व्यवस्था में सुधार आवश्यक है। दिल्ली के साथ एक अच्छी बात यह है कि यहां मेट्रो का बड़ा जाल है। इसका विस्तार और सार्वजनिक परिवहन व्यवस्था को अंतिम छोर तक बढ़ाना प्रदूषण के खिलाफ काफी कारगर प्रयास होगा। जाहिर है, तात्कालिक प्रयास करने के बजाय हमें पूरे साल चलने वाले कदम उठाने होंगे। भौगोलिक रूप से घिरे होना हमारी प्राकृतिक स्थिति है, लेकिन पराली जलाने की घटनाएं घटने और सालाना औसत में मामूली सुधार के बावजूद दमघोंटू हवा में जीना नीतिगत विफलता ही मानी जाएगी। (ये लेखक के अपने विचार हैं)
India has ranked among the lowest-performing countries in a new global assessment examining how national climate plans address public health, despite facing substantial health risks from climate change and air pollution. The findings come from the Healthy NDC Scorecard published by the Global Climate and Health Alliance, which evaluated 132 countries on how effectively health considerations are integrated into their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. These climate plans outline each country's commitments on emissions reductions and adaptation measures. India received just two points out of a possible 32, placing it joint-bottom among the countries assessed alongside Japan and New Zealand. The report argues that several major economies continue to treat climate and health as separate policy issues, leaving significant gaps in efforts to protect populations from climate-related harms. The assessment arrives at a time when health is becoming an increasingly important topic within international climate discussions. It also carries particular significance for India, which ranked ninth in the Climate Risk Index 2026 covering the period from 1995 to 2024, underlining the country's exposure to extreme weather and climate-related impacts. According to the report, India's latest climate plan fails to adequately address health outcomes linked to climate change and overlooks the public health benefits that could emerge from stronger emissions reduction policies. Researchers highlighted air pollution as one of the most important omissions. The report notes that India records an estimated 186.2 deaths per 100,000 people linked to air pollution, yet references to air-quality considerations remain absent from the country's latest climate commitments. The scorecard also found that India is among a group of countries whose emissions-reduction commitments are not aligned with pathways required under the Paris Agreement, increasing concerns about future health risks associated with rising temperatures. The assessment evaluated countries across eight categories: health impacts, air pollution, health-sector action, health co-benefits, just transition measures, integrated governance, economics and finance, and monitoring and evaluation. India received zero points in six of those categories and earned only one point each for health-sector action and integrated governance. The report argues that this reflects limited integration between climate and public health planning. Experts cited in the report said the gap is particularly significant because climate policy and air-quality improvements often deliver overlapping benefits. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment, said it was difficult to explain why air pollution and health benefits were omitted despite the major health burden linked to poor air quality. She noted that climate change, energy policy and air pollution cannot be addressed effectively in isolation. The report also points to black carbon and other short-lived climate pollutants, which contribute both to rising temperatures and harmful health outcomes. Only five countries assessed - Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Paraguay have incorporated black-carbon reduction targets into their climate plans. Colombia achieved the highest overall score with 29 out of 32 points, followed by Nigeria with 25 and Cambodia with 24. Paraguay and Timor-Leste completed the top five rankings. Notably, 19 of the 20 highest-scoring countries were low- and middle-income economies. Among major emitters, performance was mixed. South Korea scored four points, Russia six, Brazil seven, while Australia, China and the United Kingdom each received nine. The European Union scored 12, South Africa 13, Türkiye 14, Canada 16 and the United Arab Emirates 19. The report concludes that stronger integration of health considerations into climate planning could generate multiple benefits simultaneously. Researchers argue that reducing pollutants such as black carbon, methane, hydrofluorocarbons and tropospheric ozone would help slow global warming, improve public health and reduce long-term economic costs.
Haryana recorded just eight incidents of stubble burning between Sept 15 and Oct 15 this year, an almost 99% plunge from 702 during the same period in 2020. But there’s a catch. The paddy harvesting season runs from Sept 15 to Nov 30. Damp straw is harder to burn, but incidents could rise once conditions turn dry. The latest tally was also 68% lower than the 25 fires recorded during the corresponding period last year. Several traditional hotspots recorded no fires. Kaithal registered zero against 115 in 2020, Karnal none against 214, and Kurukshetra none against 151. Jind, which reported 20 incidents in 2020 and nine last year, also recorded none. Gurgaon had no detected fires. The eight incidents were reported in Palwal (2), Sonipat (2), Faridabad (1), Hansi (1), Panchkula (1) and Sirsa (1). Anumita Roychowdhury of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) attributed the decline to govt-backed methods of managing crop residue, along with better monitoring and compliance. “Both in-situ and ex-situ strategies supported by govt are now beginning to take root. The scope of implementation has expanded, bringing a lot more farmers within their ambit. More importantly, compliance and monitoring have also improved over the last couple of years,” she said. Roychowdhury said the trend showed that stubble burning could be curbed through sustained implementation. “If we have been able to achieve such a drastic reduction, this shows that the problem is solvable. We can actually eliminate it if implementation remains very stringent and reaches all farmers across the region,” she said. “We really need to ramp up further so that we are able to eliminate the problem.” However, fewer farm fires alone will not guarantee cleaner winter air. “With the share of stubble burning going down, the contribution of other regular, continuous emission sources is going to show up even more. Vehicles, industry and road dust are among them. We cannot hide behind the smoke of crop fires anymore,” Roychowdhury said, calling for stricter action against these sources. She also flagged El Niño as a concern. “Scientists are cautioning that El Niño is likely to aggravate the trapping of pollution. This is a double jeopardy for us,” she said, adding that its impact was yet to be understood. Across Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh, satellites detected 793 residue-burning incidents between Sept 15 and Oct 15. Madhya Pradesh accounted for 350, Punjab 185, Uttar Pradesh 134, Rajasthan 99, Uttarakhand 16, Haryana eight and Delhi one. On Oct 15, 15 fires were detected across the region — seven each in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, and one in Punjab. None was detected that day in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi or Uttarakhand.