RESIDENT SPEAK: Pollution problem: Lessons from Beijing for Delhi-NCR

Once labelled as the most polluted city in the world, Beijing, strived hard to combat atmospheric pollution and eventually shed the tag in 2017. Beijeng's saga has a lesson for Delhi-NCR, which is grappling with worst pollution in recent times. 

The measures the communist government of the neighbouring country had taken to achieve this feat are: Curbs on coal-fuelled boilers, cleaner domestic fuels and industrial restructuring. The result is there for all of us to see.

In a span of four years, from 2013 to 2017, fine particulate matter pollution (PM 2.5) in the Chinese capital reduced by 35 per cent. 

Over the past 20 years, Beijing has strictly implemented air pollution reduction measures, including energy infrastructure optimisation, coal-fired pollution control and vehicle emission controls. Since 2013, air pollutants in Beijing have decreased by 25-83 per cent, depending on the pollutant.

Today, Delhi-NCR has earned the dubious distinction of being the most polluted region in the world. Sadly, this comes at a time when other cities in the world have been able to control pollution while the state governments and the statutory agencies in the National Capital and its satellite towns have let the pollution levels rise to the highest through their inaction.

The most worrying fact is that the governments have done precious little to reduce pollution levels ignoring the fact that the time demands hard decisions, stringent measures and ruthless their implementation to get out of the morass.

NCR’s air quality management system should be supported by monitoring and evaluation and pollution source apportionment and emission inventories which include comprehensive legal standards and strict enforcement of environmental laws at a regional level.

Here are a few tips to get over the pollution problem.
 

1. Every year the administration and the governments of the states of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana should come up with consolidaterd action plan a few days before the pollution peaks. They need an integrated plan involving all pollutants and all key polluting sources.
2. Each administration in the region should come up with its isolated action plan on papers. What we need is a regional action plan and regional coordination mechanism involving Delhi and its adjoining districts and states. Any action plan is not going to work in isolation and implemented at an area-specific level.
3. As mentioned above, the action plan cannot be time-specific/during a season. This must be planned as a long term measure and the whole NCR region must come up with time-bound targets to reduce pollution levels. Without targets, the action plans are meaningless.
4.  A concrete action plan with regular monitoring and strict measures is the need of the hour, just worrying about it is not going to solve the problem.
5. Strict enforcement by the governments and administrations is the key to curb pollution. It is the responsibility of the govt/administration to provide clean fuel. Alternatives should be provided to control stubble burning.  Polluting factories and coal-fired boilers should be shifted out of the region. 
6. Unfortunately and sadly, we lack political will and public anger to force our governments to take strict actions.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article above are his own and CitySpidey does not endorse them in anyway.