“Air pollution is turning Mother Nature prematurely grey.”— Irv Kupcinet
Diwali has come and gone, paddy has been harvested, and winter is upon us — and the attention has once again, like an annual feature, been focused on air pollution. I say ‘annual’ because air quality is bad most of the year round and generally gets eyeballs in the months of October and November . Bad air quality is all around us to see — blackened ceiling fans, greenish-black phlegm we cough out after prolonged outings in the open, and smudged collars of two-wheeler riders. Hospitals are reporting an increasing number of people with respiratory complaints.
A renowned heart surgeon of India has said on record that when they open patients up for heart surgery, they notice significantly blackened lungs, mainly from breathing polluted air. All this is common knowledge; in fact, so common that it has stopped bothering people! Particulate pollution has been the world’s greatest risk to health and well-being ever since the industrial age.
The Energy Policy Institute of the University of Chicago brought out in 2024 that the average lifespan of an Indian is reduced by more than five years, and that of Delhiites by 8.2 years, due to air pollution! This is alarming as it is, but more worrisome is the casualness and insincerity with which this subject is handled by the Governments and the civic agencies. Even if we believe the policy guidelines and legal provisions are clear and unambiguous, their implementation and effect on the ground leave much to be desired.
The main factors of air pollution are the particulate matter, which comes about from roadside dust, industrial and construction activity, vehicular exhaust, and also stubble burning. Foul gases from drains and industrial efflux also contribute to polluting the air in their own way. We are clear, in theory, that it can be checked by ensuring industrial and large-scale control, proper monitoring and data analysis, emission reduction, and embracing green alternatives. But the effects seen on the ground belie trust in our understanding.
Whatever be our level of understanding of the problem, the crux of the matter is that we need to clean up our act! My impression is that whatever the local and Central bodies are doing is grossly inadequate, perfunctory, and often not fully executed at the ground level due to political interference and all-pervasive corruption. Why can’t we build many air purifier towers like the one built in the city of Xian in Shaanxi Province of China? A 200-feet-high tower built over an area equal to half a football field is powered by solar electricity and cleans up the air around it in many square kilometres! We must learn from the experiences of major cities of the world and their efforts to check air pollution, as this issue affects the most vulnerable members of our society — children and the elderly. Suffering due to ill health, loss of academic and working hours, and the extra burden on household incomes can be largely avoided if concerted, long-term, and effective actions are taken.
Stricter enforcement of the existing provisions and employing some novel, out-of-the-box solutions can bring excellent results. Failed experiments like the Odd-Even Scheme and the BRT Corridors need not be repeated, and yet a healthy air quality can be achieved if the Government's will is established. Construction activity needs to be monitored closely, and compliance ensured throughout the jurisdiction of the municipalities, irrespective of political patronage. Proper disposal of construction debris is a vital concern. There is widespread corruption in the machinery mandated to check violations and to take preventive and punitive measures. A confidential channel for reporting violations and a blockchain-type foolproof processing system are a must for ensuring the writ of the law runs transparently.
Roadside and surface dust need to be regularly vacuumed; large-scale mechanical means for permanent removal will improve the situation over a period. The present practice of manually sweeping it out is inefficient, irregular, and evidently inadequate. I have some radical views on controlling vehicular pollution effectively:
n No one should be allowed to buy a vehicle unless they have a certified parking place in their house. This practice has been put to good use in Port Blair and must be applied across the board, starting from Delhi NCR and all metro cities.
n Polluting vehicles must immediately be pulled off the road once detected and detained till tested and cleared. Traffic police teams need to be enhanced with pollution-checking vans with attendant equipment for on-the-spot verification, testing, and certifying. The usual seizure, impounding, and fines/challans must continue under the scrutiny of bodycams for all police personnel and dashcams for their vehicles.
Parking fees have been doubled recently in Delhi but should have been increased ten times. My recommendation is to levy parking fees at hourly rates of Rs 200 for four-wheelers and Rs 100 for two-wheelers.
PUC validity should be reduced to three months for all vehicles older than one year. Delhi Metro and Rapid Rail should substantially increase their frequency and capacity to take maximum passengers off the roads. Travelling solo in a four-wheeler should be discouraged with a heavy fine, if the Government can consider enforcing it feasibly.
Factories, power plants, and brick kiln chimneys are major sources of particulate pollutants in the air. Various techniques are available to capture the solid particles before the gases are released into the atmosphere. These are costly and hence deployed minimally because the owners know they can get away with such violations.
A national-level, mission-mode effort must be put in place immediately, and I hope this gets the attention of the powers-that-be to get this genie back in the bottle! As regards stubble burning, during my recent trip to areas of Haryana bordering Delhi, I saw a very welcome sight of baling machines working and huge stacks of paddy straw bales on the ground. I also came across huge dumps of the same on the sites of a couple of brick kilns.
This needs to be encouraged, and multiple industries need to be set up to use paddy straw and other plant materials for producing eco-friendly utility items. Decongesting the capital should be considered by shifting out parts of the Government machinery to satellite townships with adequate living and social infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals, entertainment, and other commercial facilities, to reduce traffic in the main cities.
A recent announcement by the DDA to develop the first Transit-Oriented Development Project at Karkardooma Housing Scheme 2025 is a welcome step, and all future developments must ideally be on similar lines. Transparency is needed in what the Government agencies are planning, doing, and not doing.
An open house should be held at fixed intervals, like a ‘Jan Adaalat’, at various levels to highlight Government actions and plans and to handle complaints. CAG audit mandated to oversee and examine the performance of Government efforts will ascertain the ROI of investments and help the policymaking machinery to better plan in future. Let us work together to ensure that ‘Clean Air for All’ does not remain a dream for long!
The writer is a Major General and has been decorated with Sena Medal
