The skies are blue again but the toxic haze is never too far
Environment experts list some must-dos for the government to be prepared better when air pollution spikes to dangerous levels later this year For Delhi, like most of north India, the middle of February is the time of change—winter is on its way out, trees are laden with a promise of spring and the air smells of fresh grass and blooming flowers. The sky sparkles a healthy blue, cleansed of the toxic pollutants that envelope the national capital and its neighbouring areas for almost three months, if not more. This is also the time that headline-dominating AQI, short for air quality index, takes a backseat but that doesn’t mean authorities lower the guard, say, environmentalists. They should instead step up anti-pollution efforts to prepare better when the toxic haze returns later in the year, experts say, as they list some must-dos for the government. The wishlist includes year-long on-ground action, better coordination between states, strengthening institutions for meeting targets, more teeth and financial muscle to executing agencies and technological upgrades. "We cannot address the deadly winter smog unless we make a consistent effort to meet the national ambient air quality standards across all regions of the country,” Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director in charge of research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), told Moneycontrol. Action on the ground Air pollution is a year-long problem in the northern Indo-Gangetic belt but it rises to dangerous levels in winter as temperature falls. A toxic haze of ultra-fine and hazardous particulate matter, which can cause respiratory problems, lung cancer, heart diseases and other ailments, turns the region into a “gas chamber”. Vehicular pollution, burning of biomass, including crop residue, industrial emissions, dust from construction sites and firecrackers all add to the toxic cocktail. Reports suggest pollution is also rearing its ugly head in the south, the Northeast and even Kashmir. Vehicular emissions were one of the major causes of air pollution, said Roychowdhury, as she called for giving public transport and electric vehicles a big push. “At least 80-90 percent of all motorised trips need to be on public transport, supported by walking and cycling infrastructure,” Roychowdhury said. “There also has to be a proper pricing of personal vehicle usage and massive electrification of the vehicle fleet.” The share of vehicular emission to overall pollution may differ with the location and the time of the year. In Delhi, a CSE study found that vehicles contributed to more than 50 percent of the city’s pollution between October 24 and November 8, 2021.