The winter season is over, and the importance of air pollution in public discourse seems to be receding. Many of us seem to believe that air quality is synonymous with PM2.5 and PM10 — once their levels drop below the “poor” category in Delhi, a sense of relief sets in. However, air pollution does not disappear in winter. It changes form. Surface ozone is a fast-emerging new challenge in summer. It is a hazardous air pollutant and a potent greenhouse gas, which poses serious risks to human health and harms agricultural productivity. As climate change and extreme weather events intensify, the threat of ozone looms large, particularly across rural India and in a few urban centres. When ozone is the lead pollutant, its health impact is more severe than that of particulate matter. It is hence more insidious than the particulate matter that dominates winter headlines.

Beneath the serene and manicured landscape of Lutyens’ Delhi lies a hotspot of ozone pollution, which becomes active during the summer months. Why don’t its greenery and seemingly pristine environment protect the area? Let’s find out.

Ozone pollution is the result of a reaction of the oxides of........

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