As a familiar chill returns to the capital, so does the looming threat of its annual air quality crisis. Delhi is now finalising a sweeping plan to combat the long haze that defines its winter months.
The city administration has announced a series of measures designed to provide relief from the toxic smog. The strategy, as reported by TOI, includes both technological interventions and stricter regulatory enforcement.
A toolkit of technological fixes
The government’s plan features several high-profile initiatives. Authorities will trial artificial rain through cloud seeding in an effort to wash away pollutants.
The installation of mist sprayers on electric poles and mandatory rooftop sprinklers on high-rise buildings aims to settle dust. The city will also deploy anti-smog guns at key locations.
Furthermore, a major push on electric vehicles and the plantation of 61 lakh saplings form part of the long-term ecological strategy. The TOI report also highlighted efforts to increase the processing of construction and demolition waste.
The regulatory backstop
Complementing these measures are stricter regulations on polluting activities. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) will enforce a ban on the entry of non-Delhi registered commercial vehicles running on non-cleaner fuels from November 1.
Audits of Pollution Under Control (PUC) centres will now be conducted every six months to ensure their credibility. The government has also committed to making roads pothole-free to reduce dust from vehicular movement.
Delhi's Environment Minister, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, expressed cautious optimism. "We have taken several steps," he said as quoted by TOI. "We are hopeful these measures will positively impact air quality."
Air quality experts call for a deeper shift
Despite the government's action plan, air quality experts warn that a fundamental shift in focus is critical. They argue that without reducing emissions at their source, temporary measures will yield limited results.
Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director at the Centre for Science and Environment, stated that dust-control cannot be the core strategy. "Investments must be repurposed to cut emissions from vehicles, industry, waste burning and solid fuels, which dominate in winter," she was cited by TOI.
Sunil Dahiya, an analyst at think tank Envirocatalysts, pointed to unresolved issues in key sectors. "Since power plants don't have emission control systems, they will continue to emit like last year. The EV policy is not in force, which could have helped," he said.
A plea for systemic change
Activist Bhavreen Kandhari offered a more stark assessment, dismissing what she termed "cosmetic fixes". "Delhi's smog cannot be washed away by cloud seeding, anti-smog guns, or token plantation drives," she said, as cited by TOI.
She called for a city "built for people, not cars," with safe footpaths, bus priority lanes and clean public transport. "Delhi must enforce strict compliance on vehicles, construction and industry, with zero tolerance for corruption and loopholes," she urged.
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