Opinion Delhi needs a comprehensive plan for pollution — not ad-hoc solutions
Express View: There is no trend in air quality that shows that efforts are being made to tackle it over the long term. As of now, the efforts, even if being made, are not making a notable difference
There might be variations at different locations in the city, and in the daily, weekly or monthly averages, but the major sources of pollution are now well identified. 
-
Share -
-
-
Data from a real-time source apportionment study, which resumed earlier this month after a brief hiatus, has said that the transportation sector and secondary aerosols have contributed the most to air pollution in Delhi after November 9, almost 30 per cent each. Though incidents of biomass burning have come down significantly, it is still one of the major factors, accounting for more than 25 per cent of pollutants on some days, says data from this study, a collaboration between Delhi Pollution Control Committee and IIT Kanpur. What the new set of data says is not very different from the trends in air pollution observed in Delhi during this time of the year.
There might be variations at different locations in the city, and in the daily, weekly or monthly averages, but the major sources of pollution are now well identified. Their relative contribution, and their day-night, monthly or seasonal variations, are also fairly well captured and understood. In fact, in Delhi, over the last decade, the data gap with respect to air pollution has been increasingly narrowed.
There is plenty of data available now, and scientists have also been able to determine detailed flow patterns, and lengths of stay, of different pollutants in the atmosphere during different seasons. But data is only an enabler, it is meant to facilitate action. And that is where adequate efforts still seem to be lacking. It has been at least a decade since air pollution in Delhi became a headline-grabbing issue.
Despite all the attention it has received, however, there has been no noticeable improvement in air quality in the city during the winter months, when the situation is the worst. Every year, the predicament is roughly the same, or worse, than the previous year. There is no trend in air quality that shows that efforts are being made to tackle it over the long term.
In fact, with the biomass burning incidents having gone down in the last couple of weeks, and the haze and smog that hung over Delhi and neighbouring areas during the first week of this month having been largely dispelled, the discussions on air quality have already gone off the radar. This is disquieting. Because air pollution is not a two- or four-week-long problem. Air quality is bad almost throughout the year, even though it is not as visibly intolerable as it is during the winter months. It cannot be tackled through ad-hoc measures.
A comprehensive plan for each of the major sources of pollution needs to be designed — for the short, medium and long term — and implemented. As of now, the efforts, even if being made, are not making a notable difference.
-
Share
-
-
-
Share
