Delhi’s air quality crisis: Why we are all culpable

Source: The post is based on the article “Delhi’s air quality crisis: Why we are all culpable” published in the Indian Express on 4^th November 2022.

Syllabus: GS 3 – Environmental pollution and degradation.

Relevance: About Delhi’s air quality crisis and ways to control it.

News: Almost every year after Diwali — for about a decade or so — an invasion of particulate matter makes Delhi unhealthy for people whose air passages are vulnerable to irritants.

Delhi’s air quality gets attention only when people have severe impacts. There has been no concerted activism to push the authorities to clean up the city’s air. Hence, the problem requires a long-term solution.

What are the reasons for Delhi’s poor air quality?

A combination of geographical factors, industrial activities and lifestyle choices of its residents are the major reasons for heavy pollution in Delhi. Geographical factors include the city’s location, wind speeds, etc. A large fleet of the city’s private vehicles makes the air unhealthy for the most part of the year.

The movement of pollutants and smoke from neighbouring states make the condition worse.

What are the other polluted cities worldwide, and how did they control pollution?

a) London’s tryst with smog is well-known, b) In the 1950s and ’60s, the air in Los Angeles became so unhealthy which resulted in athletes training indoors, parents keeping their children out of school, etc.

Los Angeles: It adopted a combination of environmental legislation that gave autonomy to regulatory institutions and citizen activism that kept the government on its toes.

What needs to be done to improve Delhi’s air quality?

Regulation is not only limited to imposing bans. Instead, the government has to persuade industry — most of them small factories — to adopt environment-friendly measures.