Festive and harvest seasons in India are the seasons full of joy and celebration throughout the nation. But, this celebration and time of harvest turns into a disadvantage for the capital Delhi. Every year during the month of October and November, in India we celebrate Diwali - a festival of joy and as it brings joy, It also brings the thick layer of clouds filled with dust particles over Delhi. At the same time, the harvest brings happiness to the farmers and the stubble burning to get rid of the crop residues contributes to a large portion of air pollution in Delhi.

As a child growing up in Delhi, I have always felt the transformation of Delhi's air quality from breathing pollution-free air in my early childhood days to now breathing polluted air in my teenage. It always made me think of what is the exact reason behind the air pollution in New Delhi. What are the causes and adverse effects of air pollution? If air pollution has been a long-term issue in Delhi, why it hasn't been solved until now? What are the steps taken by the government for solving the issue? Following curiosity, let's learn the answers to some of the questions below. 

Industrial Pollution: Being one of the major cities of development in India and home to several small-scale and large industries, the industrial sector contributes to about 12% of the total air pollution in the capital [2]. The reason for their adverse contribution lies in the outdated technologies used, inefficient combustion processes such as the burning of fossil fuels, and lack of proper monitoring and enforcement of environmental regulations in the industries.

Vehicular Emissions: Delhi is one of the most diverse cities in India with a large workforce population and one of the busiest streets filled with vehicles. These vehicles have been contributing about 41% of Delhi's air pollution annually releasing some of the toxic fumes such as carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide.

Construction: Construction activities and brick kilns in the outskirts of Delhi contribute to about 7% of the total pollution.  The activities lead to the release of several dust particles and particulate matter in the air which is then carried by the winds to the rest of the city.

Effects of poor air quality

The effects of poor air quality in Delhi can be majorly classified into:
Health Issues: From young toddlers to elderly individuals, air pollution causes a number of health problems. It raises the risk of several illnesses, including cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and respiratory conditions like asthma. In fact, the WHO classified air pollution as a human carcinogen in 2013. 

Birth Defects: Pregnant women who are exposed to air pollution throughout their pregnancy may have a variety of birth problems in their unborn children, including stillbirths, low birth weights, and undeveloped children.

Environmental Issues: It is not surprising that the quality of rain and soil has decreased, resulting in acidification, as a result of the rising levels of air pollution in recent years.

But, wait, we talked a lot about problems, problems, problems. Now, let’s talk about what can we do to reduce the impact of air pollution. In my opinion, there are two I’s that we need, to find an effective solution to air pollution - Implementation and Innovation.

For the past several years, there were several government schemes launched by the Indian government to control air pollution such as National Clean Air Programme, Push EV Vehicles, Odd-Even Policy, and many more. But most of them either weren't implemented well or had short-lived effects. In order for policies and programs to have a lasting impact, one of the areas in which we should focus is their successful implementation.  

Some of the biggest problems have been solved when individuals have utilized their education toward innovation such as the idea of electric vehicles, nuclear fusion, energy storage, etc. Promoting innovation in the domain of air pollution will result in number of fresh concepts and solutions to the solve air pollution. It will transform the mindset of people from being problem-makers to problem-solvers.


Citations: [1]https://www.umass.edu/economics/sites/default/files/MUJE2021.pdf#page=18

[2]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612296/#:~:text=Delhi%20has%20the%20highest%20cluster,to%20air%20pollution%20in%20Delhi.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612296/

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1888090#:~:text=With%20persistent%20field%20level%20efforts,marked%20improvement%2C%20year%20on%20year.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2212095518300269

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_Q8lzDBWI8&t=32s