Answer

Introduction

Air pollution in Indian cities is a year-round, multi-sectoral challenge. As per the World Air Quality Report 2024, 9 of the 10 most polluted cities are in India, with Delhi’s PM2.5 levels 18 times above WHO limits. Viewing it as a seasonal or festival issue ignores its structural and health impacts.

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Air Pollution in Indian Cities: Failures of a Seasonal Approach

• Pollution Is Multi-Source and Multi-Seasonal: Air quality dips not just during Diwali but also due to vehicular emissions, industrial activity, biomass burning, and dust throughout the year.
  Eg: In Delhi, post-monsoon stubble burning contributes 30–40% of PM2.5, but transport and dust dominate the rest of the year (SAFAR, 2023).
• Reactive Policies Ignore Root Causes: Crackdowns on firecrackers or temporary bans fail to address structural sources like construction dust and outdated industrial boilers.
• Health Impacts Are Continuous, Not Seasonal: Long-term exposure causes chronic respiratory and cardiac diseases.
  Eg: A 2023 AIIMS study found a 10% rise in child asthma cases in Delhi even outside winter months.
• Weak Institutional Coordination: Pollution control is split across municipal, state, and central bodies with poor coordination.
  Eg: Multiple agencies like DPCC, CPCB, and CAQM operate with overlapping mandates, leading to fragmented enforcement.
• Lack of Public Awareness and Behavioural Change: Citizens associate pollution control only with “bad air days,” not as a daily responsibility (e.g., vehicle maintenance, waste segregation).
• Short-Term Bans Disrupt Livelihoods Without Sustainable Alternatives: Blanket bans (like on firecrackers or construction) invite public resistance and policy fatigue when not paired with structural reforms.
  

Long-Term Strategies to Improve Air Quality

• Comprehensive Multi-Sectoral Action Plans: Implement city-specific Clean Air Action Plans targeting transport, waste, construction, and energy.
  Eg: The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) aims to reduce PM2.5 by 40% in 131 cities by 2026, focusing on year-round measures.
• Transition to Cleaner Fuels and Public Transport: Promote CNG, EVs, and biofuels, and expand metro and bus networks.
  Eg: Delhi’s shift to CNG buses (2000s) and EV Policy (2020) show measurable reduction in vehicular PM emissions.
• Control of Agricultural and Biomass Burning: Incentivise crop diversification, Happy Seeder use, and residue-based industries.
  Eg: Pusa Decomposer (ICAR) helped reduce stubble burning incidents by 30% in parts of Punjab (2023).
• Industrial and Power-Sector Reforms: Mandate continuous emission monitoring, stricter norms for thermal plants, and cleaner fuels.
  Eg: NCR industries’ transition to PNG and cleaner fuels under CAQM (2023).
• Urban Planning and Dust Management: Pave roads, regulate construction, and increase green cover to reduce dust re-suspension.
  Eg: Ahmedabad’s Road Dust Control Plan (2022) lowered PM10 by 20% in two years.
• Strengthening Monitoring and Governance Mechanisms: Expand real-time air monitoring networks and empower CAQM for uniform inter-state action in the Indo-Gangetic plain.
• Public Participation and Behavioural Change: Encourage civic initiatives like car-free days, waste segregation, and rooftop greenery, integrated with school and RWAs campaigns.

Conclusion

Improving air quality requires shifting from festival-focused bans to long-term, systemic action clean energy transition, sustainable farming, better transport, and citizen participation. Only sustained, science-based planning can ensure Indian cities truly breathe clean air.

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