The government’s replies to questions in the Lok Sabha on November 29, 2021, and July 18, 2022, show that even the Covid lockdown could not completely clean Delhi’s air. The fix lies in prediction, participation, intensity of airshed-wide action, and the will to act before the air turns toxic. In 2020, when roads were deserted, factories were silent, and the skies were unusually clear, the city recorded 49 “very poor” and 15 “severe” air-quality days. In 2021, as economic activity revived, those numbers fell to 41 and 12. The year before, 2019, had seen 56 and 24 such days.

The data demolish an illusion: If vehicles slowed and factories paused, Delhi would breathe easy. Something deeper traps the capital in a haze that neither lockdowns nor routine regulations can dispel. The current plans are inadequate to overcome the challenge. There are three lessons for Delhi.

First, its geography demands thinking beyond routine responses.

© Indian Express