Experts welcome air quality panel's plan to fight pollution in Delhi-NCR

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Experts have welcomed new measures aimed at curbing air pollution in the Delhi-National Capital Region, terming it a step in the right direction and calling for greater citizen participation and strict implementation for better results.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) released a comprehensive policy on July 13, listing sector-wise action plans for agencies, governments and pollution control boards through a differentiated geographical approach and timelines in what is said to be a crucial step towards improving the air quality of New Delhi and its surrounding areas.

The CAQM’s ‘Policy to curb air pollution in the National Capital Region’ covers areas including industries, vehicles, construction and demolition, dust from roads and open areas, and burning of solid waste and crop residue.

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It also deals with thermal power plants, clean fuels and electric mobility, public transportation, road traffic management, diesel generators, bursting of fire crackers and abating air pollution through greening and plantation.

“It is good to see targeted actions and timelines recommended for every sector. The focus on strengthening the quality of air pollution data and filling gaps through sensor-based monitoring to cover rural and peri-urban areas will help the authorities make evidence-driven decisions for better mitigation and abatement measures,” said SN Tripathi from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.

Toxic air pollution in the national capital is cutting short people’s lives by almost 10 years, emerging as the worst threat to human health in India, according to the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) report in June.

Differentiated strategy

A differentiated approach and timelines have been suggested for the various sub-regions of the NCR – the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi; the districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat, Jhajjar, Rohtak, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar and Baghpat; other NCR districts; and the entire state of Punjab and non-NCR districts of Haryana, primarily for stubble burning.

Also read | Air Pollution | Key pollutant levels in air breach safe limits this summer: Report

The government established the CAQM in August 2021 as an overarching statutory agency for better coordination, research, identification and resolution of problems surrounding air quality in the NCR and adjoining regions in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.

“Taking a multi-pollutant approach to control critical gases, including nitrogen dioxide and ozone, will help reduce exposure to toxic gases and control the secondary particulate matter that forms as a result. The different agencies entrusted with all these responsibilities must work closely with technical institutions for successful implementation,” said Tripathi, who is also a member of the Steering Committee of the National Clean Air Action Plan (NCAP) under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change .

The policy has also revamped the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) – a set of anti-air pollution measures for the NCR that kick in depending on the severity of the situation. The new plan focuses on proactive implementation of curbs based on forecasts. Earlier, measures would be enforced only after PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations crossed a certain threshold.

Although air pollution is perceived to be a winter problem, data from the Central Pollution Control Board show that the monthly levels of key pollutants in 10 Indian cities breached the annual safe limits during the summer months.

“It is a step in the right direction for science-based policymaking. It thrusts on clean power and clean transport as two big fundamentals to transform Delhi’s air and both must be done in right earnest,” said Aarti Khosla, director of Climate Trends, an advocacy think tank that works on climate change and its impact.

However, Khosla was sceptical about the policy pushing for the use of natural gas in industries, which she said is climate-warming, if not polluting.

“Given the global sentiment on the use of gas, which remains a volatile commodity and subject to inflationary prices, the thrust on gas as a transition fuel will have to be timebound. It rightly necessitates a conversation on other options which can be tried in place of gas,” she said.

The policy suggested the need to reform the industrial structure – modernise production capacity with improved emission control systems and adoption of clean fuels like natural gas and clean electricity for industrial applications.

Citizens’ involvement

Atul Goyal, president of the United Residents Joint Actions (URJA) of Delhi, suggested that there should have been a chapter on citizens’ participation in the policy.

“URJA had previously submitted three or four public participation mechanisms but neither the policymakers nor the administration is willing to accommodate active citizen participation,” he said.

Also read | Air Pollution | Piecemeal interventions will not clear Delhi’s upcoming smog

The Supreme Court told the CAQM on December 16, 2021, that suggestions may be invited from the general public and experts with a view to “find permanent solution to the air pollution menace occurring every year in Delhi and NCR.”

The commission set up a group chaired by P Raghavendra Rao of the Haryana Pollution Control Board, with Arvind Nautiyal of the CAQM as member secretary and seven other members.

Apart from considering the suggestions received, the panel reviewed scientific literature, policies, regulations, programmes and funding strategies of the Central and state governments in various sectors and the current status of action and best practice approaches.

The group suggested short-term (up to one year), medium-term (one-three years), and long-term (three-five years) actions to meet the common air quality goal.

The commission shared the policy with Union government ministries and departments, the Delhi and NCR state governments, and various agencies.

As environmentalist Bhavreen Malhotra Kandhari put it, “Strict enforcement is now the key to achieving clean air.”