GRADED MEASURES NEEDED, NOT KNEE-JERK REACTIONS

“Delhi is a wakeup call for the world on air pollution. It clearly tells us that unless decisive actions are taken to reduce air pollution, the events we are witnessing in Delhi over the past week are likely to be increasingly common.” Unicef released this statement last year when thick smog blanketed the National Capital Region, choking millions.

The state of health emergency stirred the public discourse on air pollution in the country. Apart from knee-jerk measures that included Delhi government’s odd-even scheme, halting construction activities and shutting down schools, a graded response system was put in place by the Supreme Court. It was believed to be a big step towards addressing the pollution issues as for the irst time a legal framework for coordination among Delhi’s various pollution controlling agencies and its neighbouring states was put in place.

Sadly, the citizens residing in north India, especially in the National Capital Region woke up again enveloped with the smog. A public health emergency has been declared and the policymakers are resorting to the same measures as last year. Solutions like trafic rationing, banning sale of Diwali crackers and shutting down power plants are well-intentioned but India’s struggle against air pollution is a deeper problem that requires more than these ad-hoc solutions.

There are severe issues in the approach that is being used to tackle the air pollution crisis.

First, ad hoc solutions might be quick at lowering pollution levels but since they don’t address the root cause, they can’t do anything once the ban is lifted. The seasonal problem of severe air pollution in Delhi is a result of the stubble burn by farmers in the neighbouring states. The farmers are too poor to clear their ield for replanting by less polluting means. A long-term solution that can equip farmers needs to be put in place to tackle this spiralling crisis.

Second, there are issues with the graded response system as well. The air quality index method used is very misleading as the nomenclatures vary within countries. The following fact puts this perspective. It is claimed that since the launch of a graded response action plan, there has not been a single day when air pollution in the national capital reached severe levels. But what is termed as moderate in Indian cities is a red alert situation in other countries. For instance, moderate to poor is the air quality when particulate matter 2.5 is between 61-90 µg/m3 while 70 µg/m3 for London is a high alert situation.

Third, air pollution is a persistent problem in India. It is neither restricted to Delhi nor to this season.

Fourth, the debate revolves around the health hazards that are being caused by air pollution and we clearly ignore the fact that air pollution is not only a health risk but also an economic burden. A panacea for India’s air quality woes requires that debate is tilted towards the economic losses that the country is facing due to escalating air pollution and a holistic action plan that focusses on real solutions targeting the problem rather than knee-jerk policies.