'Need Fast Action For Delhi's Pollution Plan To Succeed This Winter'

Between 2018 and 2023, Delhi, on an average, had just eight months of ‘satisfactory’ air quality, according to data from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). The ministry's data supports the general perception that Delhi's air quality is at its poorest between November and January, due to a host of factors.

The Secretariat spoke to Mohan P George, the former Additional Director and Senior Scientist at Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), who explained the reasons for the plight. 

“Because of a geographic disadvantage, the state experiences north-westerly winds during the post-monsoon season. These winds carry pollution from neighbouring states,” George said.

The capital's winters bring cold air that traps the pollution flowing in from Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, and retains it longer.

“Another issue is wind-blown dust, caused by vehicular movement and unending construction," he said.

Air quality has stayed in the “very poor” category in the winter months for the last six years. This, despite the Delhi government’s annual WAP.

Last year, the Delhi government had a 14-point WAP. This year's WAP has 21 points.

Winter Action Plan And How It Has Faltered

The continuing air quality deterioration has shown how Delhi’s WAP has done little to save the capital.

While this year, technology is being used, experts are not that optimistic, even though they say the WAP, on paper, is a good effort.

"But something needs to be added, and this is where we fail. While the Delhi government unveils a new WAP to curb pollution annually, the authorities need still need to deliver on their promises,” said George.

He said source apportionment studies have found that about 40-50 per cent of the pollution comes from outside Delhi. “Wind-blown dust and trans-boundary pollution movement has made it tough for Delhi to breathe clean air," he added.

Stubble burning in other states adds to the incoming pollution. With reports of an increase in stubble burning this year, the hopes of Delhi witnessing better AQI seem bleak.

Though Delhi can do next to nothing about pollution coming from neighbouring states, its new WAP still has elements missing. The absence of oversight on Delhi's unorganised industries is a big loophole. "While there are claims that industries in Delhi have shifted to PNG, we missed industries outside demarcated industrial areas. Unorganised industries are a major contributor to air pollution," George said.

Delhi's high population density leads to more vehicles on roads, resulting in emissions and vehicular dust. Further, the roads are inadequate and dusty. “To address this, mechanical road sweepers won't do the trick. Because of mobility constraints, they can only clean one side of the median at a time, while the other side is filled with moving vehicles," George said.

He poked holes in the strategy of using smog guns, which sprinkle fine nebulised water droplets, to reduce air pollution. “Sprinkling is not a solution but an emergency measure. Smog guns are designed to contain pollution and don't help in reducing it," he said.

Not even the two new WAP additions — drone monitoring and artificial rain — have won approval from the experts. "I have doubts about artificial rain and drone monitoring. With artificial rain, I believe there needs to be a comprehensive consultation before manipulating nature to see if it is feasible,” George said.

He said air quality hotspots, typically within a two-km radius of monitoring stations, do not require drone surveillance. “A scientific approach is needed for abetment. Right now, we are not following the science and taking action as rituals," he said.

"It seems like we are using wrong medicines. We have to rethink our plans. Moreover, there is a need for fast, actionable movement by the oversight authorities to check if the plan is working,” said George. He added that the success of WAP hinges on whether the on-paper strategy is translated on ground.

Lack Of Operational Support, Neglect By Regulatory Agencies

Besides WAP faultlines, the fight against pollution is fraught with neglect by regulatory agencies and a lack of operational support.

Recently, the Supreme Court came down heavily on the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) — a central government panel to monitor air pollution and quality in Delhi. The CAQM is setting up 'flying squads' to curb stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana. While this is a welcome step, it still took the SC's intervention to prompt the agency to take action.

Meanwhile, the DPCC has reportedly been working at just 54 per cent strength. This could make monitoring pollution and regulating it all the more tough. "Issuing the direction won't help, as these pollution regulating agencies need more infrastructure and human resources, lack of which has made it tough for them to operate effectively,” said George.

While these systemic issues are alarming, the impact of the hazardous air breathed in by Delhi residents is worse.

The Multiple Impacts On Health

For many in Delhi, the quality of life has deteriorated more than anywhere else in the country. Ronika Sawhney, a resident of West Delhi who suffers from a lung disease, said she struggles when the AQI is very high, forcing her to depend on inhalers or nebulisers more often.

“I have to think twice before stepping out in winter because every year consistently I always have to use my nebuliser to make sure I can breathe without wheezing or my lungs hurting. It also leads to constant irritation and allergic reactions,” she noted.

Experts note that a spike in cases during winter months or when AQI is very poor is common. The combination of poor weather and poor air quality worsens underlying respiratory conditions.

Hospitals report a surge in ICU, outpatient and inpatient cases. Moreover, in terms of mortality due to air pollution, the report by the Health Effects Institute and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Burden of Disease project noted that exposure to air pollution from Particulate Matter (PM2.5) has led to 8.1 million deaths globally.

For India, the report put the number at 2.1 million mortalities. Explaining the impact of air pollution, a Delhi-based pulmonologist said it has both short-term and long-term effects depending on the intensity and duration of exposure.

Long-term exposure to pollutants could lead to chronic problems and various non-communicable diseases. Whereas, acute problems, caused by high-intensity short-term exposure, can range from skin and eye irritation to major life-threatening symptoms.

Noting that almost all organs of the body are impacted by air pollution, he highlighted that the lungs bear the brunt of it. “The size of the PM often determines the spectrum of diseases. Anything less than PM2.5 can cross the lung barrier, get inside and disseminate in the circulation, whereas bigger particles, e.g. of size PM10, tend to deposit in the lungs, which may cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, etc.,” said the doctor. 

He said smaller particles in the circulation system can lead to heart strokes, rhythm disturbances and other heart issues. “It can also impact the brain and can cause strokes, cognition impairment, Alzheimer's, dementia and some psychiatric issues,” he added.

People At Risk

Children, the elderly and pregnant women are the most vulnerable sections. The pulmonologist added the poor to the list.

“Their exposure could be higher because of living conditions, use of biomass fuel for household cooking, lack of awareness and due to financial limitations, delayed access to healthcare, in my opinion. They tend to be poor at perceiving and reporting the symptoms and may access healthcare only for serious ailments,” he added.

Moreover, people with asthma, bronchitis and COPD etc are more vulnerable owing to their compromised lungs.

Poor awareness is adding to the problem. The doctor said the urgent need is to educate the public, especially among residents of highly polluted areas, about pollution-related diseases, which worsen with prolonged exposure.

The pulmonologist said awareness regarding precautionary measures such as wearing the right masks or visiting the doctor when early symptoms emerge is very important. “However, people tend to wait it out due to their low perceived severity of symptoms, own beliefs or preferences,” he said.

As the weather turns cooler, air pollution will return to torment Delhi. There is not only a need for pollution-regulating bodies to wake up, but for policymakers also to look beyond mitigating pollution and take adaptation measures.

For starters, the Delhi WAP should talk more about adequate and accessible healthcare before the smog sets in.