India’s Supreme Court has focussed the collective attention of the Centre and the respective Governments of Haryana and Punjab on this issue by serving stern advice to it, citing measures concrete enough to improve its highly vulnerable air quality in the national capital, which has reached alarming proportions once again. The capital city’s smog-filled sky also serves as a bitter reminder of how, left unaddressed, environmental issues can worsen and go out of hand. In this blog, we discuss the backdrop of the air pollution problem of Delhi, the role of the Supreme Court, and what needs to be done to address it properly.
Delhi’s Air Pollution: A Recurring Crisis
Air pollution, particularly over the winter months, has been an issue in the capital city for several years. Delhi’s air quality generally plummets to “severe” levels, which is hardly healthy for its citizens to breathe in. A natural rise in pollution during the winter months can be considered due to vehicular emissions, industrial activities, and construction dust, but perhaps most importantly, due to the burning of crop residue, or stubble, in neighboring states, especially Punjab and Haryana.
This is not the first time that Delhi is covered in smog every year, causing serious health issues, resulting in respiratory problems, cardiovascular diseases, and so on. Warnings and action plans are repeated every year without fail, and nearly the same situation continues, leaving the Supreme Court no choice but to be harder this time around.
Supreme Court’s Criticism: Governments on the Hot Seat
Not shying away from showing its dissatisfaction with the way the central and state governments have managed the situation, the Supreme Court has been pretty severe while holding its recent hearings. It pulled up the Centre, Haryana, and Punjab for the lack of coordination and not having long-term solutions to combat air pollution.
The Delhi high court came down heavily on state governments for not being able to keep stubble burning in check, which has considerably added to worsening air quality in the city. Even strict regulations and alternative farming techniques notwithstanding, the stubble burning practice among farmers of Punjab and Haryana continues to pour smoke into Delhi.
This Court also condemned the Centre for not doing enough in checkmating vehicular emissions and industrial pollution in and around the National Capital Region (NCR). While measures such as controlling industrial activities during high-pollution periods have been undertaken, as said above, the Court holds these to be short-term measures that do little to ensure an eventual end to the problem.
The Stubble Burning Dilemma: A Major Contributor
Perhaps, one of the most important reasons for the heavily polluted air in Delhi is the extensive crop residue burning in Punjab and Haryana. Crop stubble that falls over after harvesting is on fire as there is no easy way to dispose of it. Burning is done in the late October and early November at the end in preparation for the planting seasons. The particulate matter and pollutants released as a result have been a huge contribution to the blanket of toxic air in Delhi.
Despite efforts at giving alternatives to burning stubble, largely in the form of subsidized mechanized farming equipment, most farmers are unable to afford the means of making those alternatives practical. The problem worsens with each passing year because the alternatives are not generally adopted.
Centre’s Role: Not Doing Enough So Far
It has not been hesitant to turn the guns around and direct them at the Centre. It has on several occasions asked the central government to act more proactively in terms of Delhi’s air quality crisis. Although some measures have been taken ahead, such as enforcing stricter emission norms on vehicles and encouragement of electric vehicles, it is often perceived as being inadequate.
The Centre has taken emergency steps on extreme occasions of pollution. For instance, construction activities have been stopped for some time and schools have been shut during severe incidents of pollution. Of course, all this does little to improve the prolonged requirement of a cleaner atmosphere. The Court makes it clear that the Centre needs to work in coordination with the state governments to establish stricter norms and implement feasible measures to improve air quality in the national capital.
Remedial Measures: What Needs to Be Done?
The time has come for the Supreme Court to demand an integrated plan to address the source cause of pollution in Delhi’s air. A few of the solutions being widely debated for more than a decade are listed below:
- Stopping Stubble Burning: The government of Punjab and Haryana needs to take concrete steps toward giving the farming community other alternatives to stubble burning. This can be about offering incentives, providing mechanized equipment, or education on better ways of farming.
- Improvement of the Transport System: The Centre and Delhi Government need to work together to improve public transportation systems in such a way that it must reduce its dependency on private vehicles, the biggest pollution source in the city.
- Promotion of Green Technologies: More investment in green technologies such as electric vehicle and clean energy sources are required. Monetary incentives to the citizens and industries will adopt these technologies, and it will lead to better air quality.
Regulation of Industries. Industries working in and around NCR require more stringent emission standards. Inspections and penalties for violating emission standards should be carried regularly to curb industrial pollution. - Awareness and Enforcement: There should be a call for heightened public awareness of the dangers of air pollution and increased citizen involvement in reducing individual carbon footprint. Even greater enforcement of the existing laws is called for.
Conclusion: An Urgent Call for Action
The Supreme Court’s intervention in the Delhi air pollution crisis has highlighted the gravity of the situation. Evidently, short-term solutions alone will not suffice. With the active cooperation of state governments like those of Haryana and Punjab, the Centre needs to take long-term, sustainable steps to alleviate the debilitating impact of pollution in the region.
An urgent need to clear Delhi’s skies on a coordinated basis calls for attention at a time when millions of people’s health hangs in the balance. Cleaner air will be realized only if there is cooperation from all, with stricter enforcement of environmental regulations.
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