
Among many projects I’ve worked on in past year one has been to be part of the team preparing a comprehensive report that researches the causes, impacts and suggests policy measures to tackle the problem of smog in Delhi. Yet as we smoke almost on average 50 cigarettes a day by the virtue of breathing in Delhi’s air any layman now understands more or less, as to what needs to be done.
So while I was commuting to office today wearing my expansive pollution mask which does give some protection but is more of a reassurance, I based on my year long understanding of studying this phenomena and also living through it, decided to jot down in simple points the minimum steps that need to be taken on immediate basis in order to have a visible solution to the problem of smog not just in Delhi but across north Indian Gangetic plains. Here it goes:
- Blanket ban on stubble burning anywhere in North India.
- Subsidize “Happy seeder” or similar technology and push to widen its use. (Sustainable agricultural practices).
- Commercialization of left out stubble for its use in furniture making or mushroom cultivation.
- Odd-Even (read Graded Action Plan) through out the year without any blanket exceptions not just in NCR but all major cities adjoining Delhi.
- Mechanical and Vacuum sweepers, and water sprinklers to tackle the road and construction dust.
- Strict parking policy across all major cities.
- Stricter BS-VI compliance and early conversion in addition to early phasing out of old vehicles in all categories.
- Acceleration of EV mobility and establishment of standardized EV charging infrastructure.
- Better solid waste management practices and infrastructural investment in addition to a total ban on open waste burning.
- More Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring stations (CAAQM) distributed evenly through rural and urban areas in addition to partnering with private players so as to form a tight grid for updated, continuous and accurate air quality measurement and forecast, that would also serve as an early warning system.
I do understand that it is tricky, amendments will have to be brought, then there is vote bank politic coupled with implementational inertia that the system in our country suffers from. Some would say where is the money and others would say that it’s not in their mandate and also some would say that many of these steps are already been taken. To them, I only have one answer that It’s the air we are breathing and if we can’t keep it clean then we as a society have failed ourselves and no other achievement matters when a huge chunk of population which ranging from a poor beggar to PM and President of the Nation have to breathe in an average AQI of above 300 for months.
