How to avoid capital error

With Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) rising to 235 on Wednesday, its highest level since June 19, pollution season is here again. In what’s ominous, air quality dipping to “poor” category in Sep is a first in six years. As citizens of the national capital brace for the dreaded winter haze, Delhi govt has unveiled a 21-point action plan to curb pollution.The action plan includes drone-monitoring of hotspots, special task force, work-from-home policy, voluntary vehicular restrictions, and a green award. To combat severe air pollution, the odd-even vehicle rationing scheme and even artificial rain are proposed.Last year, too, AAP govt had introduced a 15-point action plan, which was completely ineffective. In fact, the air pollution season of 2023-24 was one of the worst in recent memory, with an average AQI of 304, compared to 280 in 2022-23 and 278 in 2021-22.For over a decade, Delhi has experimented with various pollution control measures — odd-even schemes, smog towers, water cannons, tree plantations, and graded response action plan (GRAP), which restricts industry, construction, and vehicle operations, among others. Yet, the city continues to suffer.Why Delhi’s plan won’t work | This year’s plan, like those before, is unlikely to deliver the clean air Delhi needs. And this is because these measures do not target the most significant pollution sources. Delhi, which makes up only 2.7% of NCR, lies in one of the most urbanised, industrialised, and agricultural regions in the world. Consequently, its air is heavily influenced by pollution from neighbouring districts.Studies reveal that only 30-50% of Delhi’s air pollution originates within the city, with the remaining 50-70% coming from outside. This means that a regional approach is essential to reduce air pollution in the city. Furthermore, the main sources of pollution in Delhi-NCR are the use of biomass for cooking, heating, and in micro and small industries, as well as the burning of agricultural residues in the surrounding states.These activities contribute over 50% of the total PM2.5 pollution, the most dangerous pollutant of all. An additional 30% of PM2.5 pollution comes from industries and power plants that rely on coal and other fossil fuels. In other words, more than 80% of PM2.5 pollution in Delhi-NCR is caused by solid fuel, particularly biomass and coal burning, with vehicles contributing less than 10%. This estimation does not include dust from roads, construction sites, and barren land, which are also significant sources of particulate pollution.Centre, states must collaborate | If Delhi is serious about improving air quality, it must stop relying on ineffective, superficial solutions like odd-even schemes, construction bans, and drone monitoring. These temporary fixes do more harm than good by damaging the economy without addressing the core issue. The real solution lies in collaboration between the central govt and the states — Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan — to confront pollution at its source.This collaborative effort can be operationalised by creating a new governance framework and institution to implement a coordinated clean air action plan. This will require all states to relinquish some powers for the common good. Here’s how this can happen:Establish air pollution control zone | The central govt should declare Delhi and its surrounding areas as an Air Pollution Control Zone. Within this zone, all air pollution-related measures should be implemented in a coordinated manner. Ideally, this zone should cover the entire airshed, spanning a 300km radius around Delhi. However, considering the existing institutional setup, this zone could include Delhi-NCR and four additional districts in UP — Aligarh, Hathras, Mathura, and Agra.This would encompass an area within a radius of about 150km, with a population of around 80mn. Although this would exclude key agricultural areas in Punjab and Haryana where stubble burning is rampant, that issue could be addressed through specific programmes aimed at eliminating crop residue burning.Set up empowered agency | To implement a coordinated clean air action plan, a new empowered agency should be established. The agency should have representatives from both central and state govts and be headed by a senior secretary-level officer. It should have district offices and its own staff. In other words, it should be the nodal agency for air pollution control in the zone, superseding other central and state agencies.Similar agencies exist elsewhere, such as the California Air Resources Board, established in 1967 to tackle severe pollution in cities like Los Angeles. China has set up the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Regional Coordination Council to reduce pollution levels in Beijing. While the Centre has set up the Commission for Air Quality Management for NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM), it has not been very effective because it lacks resources, authority, and a proactive action plan.Put in place real action plan | Delhi’s air quality, and India’s as a whole, cannot improve without a rapid transition to clean energy for cooking, heating, industry, transport, and power generation. Similarly, pollution from land and agriculture, such as agricultural residue burning and desertification, will have to be addressed. These challenges will require bold schemes, dedicated resources, and multi-year efforts to see tangible results. For this, a genuine action plan needs to be developed.But the question remains: Are the central and state govts up for the challenge?The writer is an environmentalist.