‘We need to take more comprehensive, long-term measures throughout the year, not just in the days and weeks when it starts to become news’. The picture is of Delhi ki Hawa. Photo Credit: AP
Every year around Diwali, and like clockwork, Delhi’s air quality hits the headlines. But there is a problem. You must have noticed that after a ‘windy day’, the noise on this issue in TV channels and even newspapers subsides and fuels the debate. Next winter we’re back to raging again. We are doing well as firefighters, but doing very little as planners. While nature will not change, emissions can be reduced.
The increasingly polluted air is a menace and a health crisis in the making. In fact, it already is one. India now reports 2.5 million air pollution-related deaths annually. Pollution not only burns our throats and eyes but is far more insidious. Some pollutants are so small that they are able to easily enter the bloodstream, affecting almost every organ in the body and triggering health problems such as stroke, heart disease, respiratory disease and cancer, to name a few. The name of the problem. It’s not just about good air. It’s about life.
While much has been written and said about Delhi’s air quality, a question remains to be answered: Why is nothing changing after all these years?
same order again
One major reason is that year after year, we are trying to solve the problem without actually trying to evaluate why those measures are not effective. The government set up the Air Quality Management Commission, which unfortunately did not offer anything new. This body issued essentially the same orders that the ministry and the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority used, with only minor changes in the language used. Every year schools are closed, people are advised to stay indoors or carpool and work from home, firecrackers are banned, construction is stopped, trucks and cars are not allowed to enter the city. are not allowed, and industries running on the fuel shut down. These measures, and many others, are akin to bandaging a bullet wound. Stopping people from going about their regular work is plain bad governance.
Why is Delhi’s air bad?
As the smog descends over Delhi, the blame game begins – with neighboring states identifying stubble burning as the main culprit. However, the reality is that Delhi’s air is bad even if the stubble is not burnt. The burning of biomass in and around Delhi, if audited properly, would be similar to stubble burning in other states. Unfortunately, no body, be it the municipal body or the Public Works Department of the government, is ready to take responsibility or find out the problem and find a solution. This is not to say that stubble burning is not a problem. Some solutions have been tried over the years, but with little success. What is needed is a fundamental change in the agricultural pattern, for which one needs to make a bold political call. Unless proper compensation is given to the farmers, the problem is not likely to go away. Sadly the ‘Happy Seeder’ based solution has not been a pleasant experience. We need to accept that the problem is not just Delhi centric. For some strange reason we all talk about the airshed approach but don’t spend the rest of the year trying to solve the problem. Delhi is choking on its own dust and industrial activities. Who is ensuring compliance with rules relating to disposal of construction and demolition waste? Delhi started with a lot of enthusiasm regarding greening and road side cover. But is anyone monitoring this? Everyone seems to be looking at the PNG data in industry, but is anyone looking at unauthorized industries, which are a big emitter? Vehicles are another source of pollution in the city and we need to introspect as to why despite a growing fleet of public transport, citizens who mainly use two-wheelers have not shifted to using the public transport system – buses and metro Huh. I think the reasons for this include last-mile connectivity, the problem of overcrowding in buses and metro, and the inability of two-wheelers to reach and navigate the narrow lanes. The maintenance condition of the buses could also be another factor.
A no to silo functioning
We have to be creative and look beyond those solutions that have already been tried and proven to be the best short-term solutions to a recurring, long-term problem. Yet one key issue that needs attention is the governance system. There should be a unit that takes the responsibility of air quality management. We cannot operate in silos where one system of governance is responsible for thinking, another system issues orders and a third is responsible for implementation. Without an efficient system that works in a coordinated manner, we will find ourselves in the same situation years later.
The reality is also that Delhi is not the only culprit. There are many other cities in India where safe levels of air quality are routinely violated. Air quality is a problem on most days, but it becomes a problem around Diwali and when stubble is burnt. We need more comprehensive, long-term measures throughout the year, not just in the days and weeks when it becomes news.
CK Mishra is former Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Founder of Partnerships for Impact