The battle to clean up India's air

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The battle to clean up India's air

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• A winter bias: Going by governments' reactions, it may seem that air pollution is a winter issue in India! Most concern is shown from October to January. No doubt, serious action and results have eluded India, as rest of year is business-as-usual.
• Quick fixes won't work: Smog towers aren't a solution, like being tried in Delhi. They are just an acceptance that something needs to be done. Such towers work well with closed spaces (power plants and subway tunnels) but not in the wide open spaces. Millions of towers may be needed for open spaces, an unviable idea.
• A new Commission: The Union govt. will set up a commission for air quality management of NCR, which means cooperation between Centre and states is crucial now. This Commission will replace the existing EPCA - Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA). 

1. Existing 20-year old EPCA had civil society and govt. officials as members
2. New body will have scientific community members too, but overall seems heavily centre-driven (funds, members)
3. With a broader mandate, the new Commission can overrule CPCB, state boards and other statutory bodies.

• NCAP: The National Clean Air Programme was focused on clean air for 102 cities, since 2019. Pollution is to be cut down by 30% by 2024, compared to 2017. 

1. Expert bodies have reviewed these plans and found no legal framework for reviewing and updating the same
2. There is lack of clear responsibilities too, with nearly half of the works in NCAP with overlapping agencies ("everyone's business is often nobody's business")
3. A 'city-approach' has limited scope as at least 30% pollution comes from sources outside, hence an 'airshed-approach' is needed {like that being planned for NCR now}

• Getting local variations right: It is true that transport emissions, industrial pollution and dust are the major city-level sources of pollution, but share of each varies everywhere. Without that, plans may be too approximate.

1. Around 3/4th of activities in city plans are related to planning, monitoring, training etc.
2. Just 1/4th are related to on-ground action
3. Little or no attention to economic measures like congestion pricing or physical infrastructure like installing pollution monitors

• Why so: It could be due to limited budgets and poor planning ability at local levels. The total budget for all cities was Rs.300 cr for 2019-20. As an example, Dimapur alone needs Rs.90 cr for three years.
• A new approach: The governments have to realise that India's air pollution battle needs much more commitment, budgets and vision. Others have done it over time, like Mexico City, that took its PM2.5 to just 21 micrograms per cubic m, against Delhi's 99.
• Mexico City's story: The federal and local governments coordinated well, and a drastic reduction started from 1992 and continued till 2000, and then slowed down. Tough measures were taken - a refinery within city limits was shut down, many polluting industries taken out, average age of vehicle fleet reduced, industrial areas turned into residential/commercial.
• The Beijing story: Its Clean Air Action Plan came in 2013, and the PM2.5 levels went down by 35% in four years. The coal-fired power plants were shut down, and clean energy brought in. Nearly 20% reduction was due to emissions reduction in surrounding areas.
• Summary: India too can follow the good examples, but with consistent determination to hit at the root causes, not dance around it superficially.

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