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Delhi, the capital of India, is again engulfed in a thick blanket of smog. Air quality indices are alarming, and citizens are thus being derailed with severe health problems and strain on infrastructure in the city. The situation brings into focus the NCAP launched in 2019, aimed at reducing the concentration of particulate matter by 20-40% by 2025-26. However, recent reports indicate that the scheme’s actual rollout has not been smooth, raising questions on how effective it is.
The Present Situation in Delhi’s Air Quality
Air quality in Delhi has deteriorated to hazardous levels since November 2024 with readings for AQI in excess of 1,500 in some cities and areas. This is far beyond the threshold limit of 400 for the ‘severe’ category and may pose significant public health issues. The principal contributors to this crisis are vehicular emissions, industrial discharges, construction dust, and seasonal factors such as stubble burning by other states. Winter conditions make things worse in this scenario due to the fact that with cooler temperatures and stagnant air in the atmosphere, pollution cannot dissipate.
Health Implications
There is a rising trend in pollution levels, which has led to the increase of respiratory diseases in Delhi residents. Hospitals are now reporting higher admissions for diseases like asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory illnesses. The thick smoke has also reduced visibility in the city and is disrupting daily activities and posing a threat to many vulnerable groups, including children and the elderly.
Overview of NCAP
The NCAP was launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in January 2019 as a holistic policy to reduce air pollution throughout India. It reduces the concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 by 20-40% by 2025-26 using 2017 as a basis year. It targets 131 non-attainment cities, one of which is Delhi, which has not achieved the National Ambient Air Quality Standards in any given year.
Funding and Implementation Issues
In spite of doling out more than ₹11,000 crore under NCAP and the 15th Finance Commission, the programme faces tough implementation challenges. A study of 46 meetings of the NCAP Committee has shown that in at least 68 target cities, the fund utilizations were less than 75%. In Delhi alone, just 31.76% have been utilized, and the resource deployment is getting questioned.
Reasons for Underutilization
The following factors have led to underutilization:
- Administrative Delays: Bureaucratic red tape has caused the slow disbursal and utilization of funds, postponing the implementation of measures to control pollution.
- Lack of Coordination: Inadequate coordination and overlapping functions at the central and state agencies have led to inefficiency.
- Ineffective Monitoring: Robust mechanisms to assess the effectiveness of measures undertaken are lacking.
Political Dimensions
The persistent pollution crisis has fuelled political debates with the opposition parties accusing the government of mishandling the situation. According to some critics, NCAP has no formidable enforcement mechanism and that there is a pressing need for more political will to address the root causes of pollution. In contrast, the ruling government blames the complexity involved in curbing the pollution, which includes interstate factors like stubble burning requiring efforts beyond the NCAP.
Public Reaction and Mitigation
Citizens of Delhi had to make adjustments as the air quality continued deteriorating. Some spent money on air purifiers and masks while others fewer time outside. Footfalls in public parks have decreased while an increasing percentage of people express frustration about no effective measures to control pollution.
Comparative Analysis with Other Cities
Comparing Delhi’s situation with other major cities facing pollution challenges clearly reveals that whereas some have taken things forward through stringent policies and technological interventions, their efforts in Delhi have been cancelled out by policy incongruity and improper enforcement issues. For example, the city of Beijing has gone full throttle with aggressive measures-such as closing all polluting industries and encouraging the use of public transportation-and results can be seen in air quality improvement.
Improvement Recommendations
To strengthen NCAP and tackle the pollution crisis in Delhi, these are recommended:
- Strengthen Enforcement: Strict non-compliance charges with steep penalties need to be designed and implemented to bring about adherence.
- Enhance Monitoring: Deploy advanced air quality monitoring systems to provide complete, real-time data that will help these authorities to make the necessary decisions.
- Promote Public Awareness: Organize wide-scale public awareness campaigns to educate the public about sources of pollution and ways to prevent them.
- Individuals can be motivated toward more sustainable practices by using cleaner technologies in industry and encouraging the use of public transport.
- Inter-state collaboration can be encouraged to handle issues like stubble burning that are transboundary in nature.
Conclusion
The continued battle against severe air pollution in Delhi highlights the imperative need for proper implementation of the National Clean Air Programme. The success of NCAP depends on effective use of funds, robust enforcement, and collaboration between government and societal machinery at all levels. Smoother working to address the multifaceted challenges of air pollution requires it to have a continued commitment and proactive measures for safeguarding public health and environment.
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