It’s that time of the year again when Delhi suffocates due to smog and pollution

Dilli ki sardi’ is infamous; yes, for its biting cold but especially for the pollution and smog that hang heavy in the air. After what seems like a respite from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Capital might again be headed for its annual date with the much-dreaded winter spell of smog and all the accompanying ailments. According to a March 2021 report by a Swiss organisation, IQAir, Delhi happens to be the world’s most polluted Capital city and the 10th most polluted city overall. Smoke from paraali (paddy stubble) burning in the NCR as well as harmful fumes and particles trapped in air only worsen the conditions. With little means to expel the toxic elements, Delhiites are forced to gasp for breath. Despite the severity of the situation, no significant progress has been made for decades. The brief implementation of the “odd-even” rule by the AAP Government, which the Supreme Court correctly tagged as a “half-baked solution”, was never a practical solution in the long run. Also, the monthly efficacy report of the “first” smog tower installed in Delhi’s Connaught Place area is due later this month.

In view of the prevailing situation, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has announced a 10-point “winter action plan” to make the air “breathable” this winter. It includes decomposer for paraali as an alternative to burning, keeping a check on construction and demolition sites under the anti-dust campaign, levying a hefty fine on burning waste, ban on crackers, likely installation of more smog towers and setting up India’s first e-waste park for safe recycling and disposal. The next few weeks will foretell what all these measures end up in. Meanwhile, playing his old tune, Kejriwal alleges that the Central and the Governments of the neighbouring States did not take efficient steps against stubble burning which leads to air pollution in Delhi but the question remains did he equip Delhi enough? Kejriwal’s basket of promises to woo Punjab voters ahead of the Assembly polls also did not mention anything about paraali. It’s a question worth pondering that if he makes successful inroads into Punjab, would he deal with the situation there as sternly? He had said that the Pusa Decomposer was a perfect foil to stubble burning and hoped that “2020 would be the last year to suffer from air pollution”; now how that works out is to be breathed!