Five Steps to Clean Delhi’s Air

By Narvijay Yadav

Delhi’s air crisis is not an accident of nature. It is the result of policy delay, weak enforcement, and short-term thinking. The solutions are known. What’s missing is urgency.

Every winter, Delhi gasps for air. And every year, we act surprised. Schools shut down. Hospitals fill up. Children cough. Elderly people struggle. Masks return. Air purifiers sell out. And yet, once the season changes, the urgency fades. The crisis is treated like a temporary inconvenience instead of a permanent public health emergency. Delhi’s air pollution is not mysterious. It is the result of many small failures adding up to one big disaster.

The main causes are clear and well known. Vehicular emissions remain the biggest contributor. Too many cars, too many diesel vehicles, and too little control. Add to this construction dust that floats freely because rules are ignored. Industries in and around Delhi still burn dirty fuel. Crop burning in neighboring states pushes smoke into the city. Garbage burning continues in many areas. Firecrackers worsen an already toxic mix. Weather conditions trap all this pollution close to the ground during winter, making it deadly. None of this is new.

What makes Delhi’s situation worse is not the lack of information, but the lack of sustained action. Other countries have faced similar crises and acted decisively. China once had cities that looked like Delhi does today. But it treated pollution as a national emergency. It shut down dirty plants, shifted to clean energy, controlled vehicles, and enforced rules strictly. The air did not improve overnight, but it improved steadily because the intent was serious.

Delhi, unfortunately, keeps postponing hard decisions. The cost of delay is enormous. Children are growing up with damaged lungs. Studies show that long-term exposure affects brain development, learning ability, and overall health. Adults face higher risks of heart disease, asthma, and early death. Pollution is silently reducing life expectancy in the capital. This is no longer just an environmental issue. It is a human crisis. So what needs to be done?

First, reduce the number of private vehicles on the road. This is unavoidable. Better public transport, affordable electric buses, last-mile connectivity, and safe walking paths must be expanded rapidly. Owning multiple cars must become expensive, not convenient. Pollution does not reduce unless traffic is reduced.

Second, strict control on construction and dust. This is the easiest problem to fix but the most poorly enforced. Construction sites must be covered. Roads must be cleaned properly. Penalties for violations should be real, not symbolic. Temporary bans during high-pollution days should be enforced without exceptions.

Third, end garbage burning completely. This is not a complex issue. It is a governance issue. Waste collection, segregation, and local accountability can eliminate this source if municipal systems work honestly and efficiently.

Fourth, support farmers with real alternatives to crop burning. Blaming farmers will not solve the problem. Providing affordable machines, financial incentives, and clear timelines will. Crop burning is a regional issue and needs coordinated action between states and the central government.

Fifth, treat pollution like a health emergency, not a seasonal problem. Policies should not change every winter. Air quality targets must be year-round. Schools, offices, and industries should follow pollution-linked protocols automatically, not after public outrage.

In the long term, Delhi must rethink how it grows. Cities cannot expand endlessly without green spaces. Trees, urban forests, and green belts are not decorative luxuries. They are survival tools. Clean energy must replace coal and diesel at every level. Monitoring systems must be transparent so people know the truth, not filtered versions of it.

Most importantly, leadership must stop playing blame games. Pollution does not belong to one party, one government, or one season. It belongs to decades of short-term thinking. Until air quality becomes a non-negotiable priority, Delhi will keep choking.

The real tragedy is that we already know the solutions. What we lack is courage. Delhi does not need more reports. It needs execution. It needs coordination. It needs accountability. Clean air is not a privilege. It is a basic right. And if Delhi cannot guarantee that, it risks becoming a city people leave, not a city people dream of living in. Let’s make Earth a kinder, healthier place to live.

The writer is a senior journalist and author. Views are personal.