Delhi's Annual Air Pollution Has Become A Human-Made Calamity

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This is a human-made calamity with many causes. Some factors are common to many large and fast-growing cities, especially in emerging economies. Delhi has many coal power plants, for instance, and its streets are choked with heavy traffic. Decades of dust, often from the construction industry, have accumulated in and around the city. Waste is often simply burned.

But some factors are more specific and it is these that push Delhi from“regular pollution” into catastrophe. Every year, farmers across northern India especially the breadbasket states of Punjab and Haryana burn off unwanted straw left behind in fields, sending huge clouds of smoke downwind toward Delhi. Fireworks during Diwali (held on October 31 in 2024) also cause a small but noticeable .

All this is exacerbated when winter begins and colder and more polluted air becomes trapped over the city by a layer of warmer air above it – a process known as temperature inversion .

A conscious effort

The risk of pollution is increasing. Central and state authorities blame each other and there is a lack of political will to address the problem. Individual people seem unwilling to take responsibility and stop polluting.

A conscious effort is needed. Fortunately, certain policies could make a difference. Materials should be covered at construction and demolition sites, for instance, to stop so much dust from being blown into the air. This may require Delhi to strengthen its legal enforcement system.

The city should plant more trees along the streets and create new parks. Trees are good at combating air pollution. Waste burning should be restricted. Eventually, coal power will need to be replaced by wind and especially solar. When pollution is at its worst, the city can impose strict restrictions on large diesel-powered freight vehicles transporting non-essential items.

Farmers, for their part, must stop burning plant material left behind (known as stubble) after food is harvested. This is easier said than done. The areas upwind of Delhi tend to have two growing seasons, and many farmers burn off their rice stubble in November before planting wheat in the same field. The system has persisted for a long time and is effectively locked in , with most powerful actors not having enough incentive to change things.