Delhi’s air pollution puzzle: 

Delhi’s air pollution puzzle: 

Context:

According to a WHO report, Delhi has the worst air quality among the megacities (cities with the population of at least 14 million)

What does the WHO report say?

• There were 4.24 million deaths globally in 2015 attributable to PM2.5 (fine         particulate matter with a diameter less than 2.5 micrometer)
• India accounted for 26% of the total deaths globally- 1.09million
• Among the megacities, Delhi has the worst air quality

What is the existing framework to tackle air pollution in Delhi?

• A graded response action plan was enforced on 12th January 2017.
• The plan describes a series of measures to be implemented by the court-mandated, Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) in coordination with relevant state agencies.
• Based on the air quality the grades have been classified as Emergency, Severe, Very Poor and Moderate poor.
• It is the first legal framework for coordination among Delhi’s various pollution controlling agencies and its neighbouring states.

What was the need to devise such a plan?

• In November 2016, Delhi was engulfed in a toxic smog when the PM2.5 level rose to 999 micrograms (mg)/metre cube (m3) — much higher than the Indian ambient air quality standard of 60mg/m3, and the WHO standard of 25mg/m3—on a 24-hour average basis.
• This led to widespread public protests.
• In 2016, the supreme Court had termed Delhi’s air “a public health emergency “and had asked the Union government to prepare a graded response action plan specifically for the city

What is the need to have coordination with neighbouring states to curb air pollution in Delhi?

• The sources of PM2.5 air pollution in Delhi are both internal and external
• The contribution of the neighbouring states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab to Delhi’s air pollution is mainly due to the burning of crop residue.
• The contribution is variable and depends on the time of the year. It varies from 26% during winters to 12% during summers

What does ‘graded response’ to air pollution mean?

A graded response lays down stratified actions that are required to be taken as and when the concentration of pollutants, in this case particulate matter, reaches a certain level.

Which other cities have tried such a system?

• Paris
• Beijing
• Singapore

What are the measures recommended in the ‘Graded response action plan’ for Delhi?

• Traffic rationing schemes
• Ban on construction activities and banning diesel generators  if the air quality hits the “severe” mark (PM2.5>250 mg/m3),
• Other measures include:  closing brick kilns, stone crushers, hot mix plants and intensifying public transport services and increasing the frequency of mechanised cleaning and sprinkling of water on roads

How far has the graded response action plan been successful in Delhi?

• Official data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) indicates that the air continues to be unhealthy in Delhi even after the ‘graded response action plan’ was launched.
• Air quality in Delhi has failed to meet National PM2.5 health standards and WHO air quality guidelines of PM2.5

What are the reasons for the failure of the graded action programme?

The CPCB and State Pollution Control Boards (SPCB) face institutional, technical and manpower constraints.

1.   Manpower shortage: All SPCBs have a combined manpower shortage of 35% to 40%. This hampers the ability of the EPCA to enforce the plan.
2.   Technical issues:

• Delhi has 15 air pollution monitoring stations manned by the CPCB, of which only 10 are functional. Many of these are not properly calibrated and there are quality concerns on the data they generate.
• Lack of well equipped air pollution forecasting Platform
• Lack of coordination among the agencies of Delhi and its neighbouring states