Delhi’s air pollution is of its own making. Stubble burning not the main culprit, says CSE
Vehicular emissions and not stubble fires are the biggest contributions to Delhi’s foul winter air, a new analysis by the national capital-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has shown. It also showed that the level of fine pollutants has shown no improvement since 2022, indicating that pollution control measures being implemented by government agencies have not been effective. The report released Monday shows a repeated pattern where PM2.5 rises and falls which is in sync with the nitrogen dioxide during morning and evening peak and rush hours, showing the pivotal role of the traffic in daily pollution rise. Nitrogen dioxide shows a sharp and immediate peak from tailpipe emissions, whereas PM2.5 accumulates more slowly but stays trapped under shallow winter boundary layers. Carbon monoxide, another harmful gas where vehicles are the biggest emitters, has shown an exceeding rise across the city. “What’s more worrying is the daily synchronised rise of PM2.5 and other toxic gases such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and carbon monoxide (CO), largely from vehicles and combustion sources, creating a toxic cocktail that has gone unnoticed,” CSE executive director-research and advocacy Anumita Roychowdhury said in a statement. She added that the trends signal an urgent need for deep rooted shifts in infrastructure and systems to upscale action for cutting emissions from vehicles, industry, power plants, waste, construction and household energy.