The bold Air Air pollution Mitigation Plan 2025 launched final month by the BJP-led Delhi authorities in one of many world’s most polluted cities could fall quick on a number of parameters regardless of some redeeming options, says a number one environmental activist.
Reflecting on the placing on ‘maintain’ the gasoline ban on end-of-life automobiles amid public stress, which got here into impact this week, Shambhavi Shukla of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) advised this reporter: “In its decades-long marketing campaign on the precise to clean air, CSE has by no means really helpful the phase-out of non-public automobiles primarily based on age. As a substitute, we’ve really helpful the advance of gasoline and emission requirements for automobiles – from BS-0 within the mid-Nineties to BS-6 introduction in 2020.”
Of the multi-pollutants which have turned the nationwide capital right into a dwelling hell, vehicular air pollution is correct on the prime. The Delhi authorities mentioned that solely BS-VI automobiles, CNG vehicles, and electrical automobiles will probably be allowed entry into the Union territory after November 1, 2025. This characteristic won’t apply to automobiles already registered in Delhi, however would apply to industrial automobiles—giant, medium, and heavy items automobiles.
Based on Shukla, “Except there’s a unified transport system, a sort of a multi-modal association, limiting it to simply Delhi won’t work. Delhi-Gurugram-Faridabad-Noida requires a multi-modal built-in transport system.”
Such an association is missing within the anti-pollution plan, she mentioned.
‘Misses crucial technological interventions’
In Shukla’s estimate, the venture may do with extra technological help. The plan misses crucial technological interventions corresponding to distant sensing-based monitoring of emissions to determine gross polluters in real-time, which can assist in the robust enforcement of the air air pollution mitigation plan. Pilot research of distant sensing have proven promising outcomes, which can utterly remodel how on-road emission administration is completed.”
Among the many different key steps launched by the Rekha Gupta government is the introduction of extra electrical automobiles on the capital’s roads. “By 2027, as many as 2,000 electrical buses will ply the streets, and 18,000 public charging stations will probably be arrange,” the chief minister mentioned, including that 2,299 e-autos will probably be deployed by Delhi Metro.
Shukla believes that higher air high quality monitoring, together with the usage of Chemical Transport Models (CTMs) for coverage steering, and the event of a public info system with well being advisories, needs to be thought-about obligatory.
The brand new plan doesn’t embrace such sharing of public info, and with out such steering, a titanic battle in opposition to such a lethal environmental scourge will at all times face hurdles.
‘Elevated stubble burning’
On the vexed difficulty of the air quality index (AQI) dipping on account of elevated stubble burning within the neighbouring states, Shukla mentioned that extra must be completed. “Crop burning is a seasonal phenomenon. However extra coordinated efforts are required for different sources of air pollution, that are current all year long. Transboundary motion of air pollution is a key difficulty, and this have to be taken care of by not simply focussing solely on city-centric options,” she mentioned.
Air air pollution in Delhi continues to be an unresolved drawback. In winter months, the AQI ranges usually hit hazardous ranges on account of elevated stubble burning in neighbouring states.
The Delhi authorities’s different modern strikes embrace the set up of mist sprayers on electrical poles throughout 13 air pollution hotspots, and the introduction of anti-smog weapons on commercial buildings of over 3,000 sq. m.
On July 5, the Delhi authorities introduced its choice to put in water sprinklers on poles alongside the busy Rani Jhansi Street, which connects central and north Delhi. Officers mentioned that all the venture is predicted to take about two to a few months to finish.
The Delhi chief minister additionally mentioned that the nationwide capital would witness its first synthetic rain “very quickly” with the assistance of cloud seeding strategies. For cloud seeding and synthetic rain, an MoU has been signed with IIT Kanpur as a pilot venture.
‘These are momentary options’
Shukla, nonetheless, believes that these are momentary options and it could solely assist if air pollution have been fastened on the supply itself. On the query of synthetic rains, the CSE expert questioned the sanctity of the transfer “as a result of it requires precise clouds to be current for the rain to occur.”
Since taking workplace in February 2025, the Delhi authorities has carried out a sequence of bold measures, from a 25-point air pollution management plan and a ban on older automobiles to obligatory anti-smog weapons on buildings, cloud seeding trials, and a widespread mud management initiative.
