According to the latest analysis from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), Delhi has once again topped the charts as the most polluted city in India during the winter months of October 2024 to February 2025. This alarming trend extends to the National Capital Region (NCR), with Ghaziabad, Noida, Gurugram, and Dadri also ranking among the most polluted cities.

Shockingly, ten additional cities across India have similarly failed to meet the daily National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), highlighting a nationwide crisis that demands urgent attention. Despite years of interventions, the pollution crisis in India has only worsened. In 2015, the Hon’ble National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered a ban on 10-year-old diesel and 15-yearold petrol vehicles in NCR, holding auto emissions as the main cause of air pollution. However, this measure has provided no respite. Each year, as winter approaches, pollution levels soar, triggering alarm bells and prompting authorities to implement the usual, repetitive knee jerk measures.

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The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is hastily enforced depending on the air quality being “poor,” “very poor,” or “severe.” Authorities restrict diesel vehicles, enforce odd-even schemes, or close sch – ools, assuming these actions will drastically reduce pollution levels. Ultimately, with hardly any relief from such measures, we look for Mother Nature’s winds or rains to cleanse the air. Endless debates ensue, courts issue warnings, and experts suggest new policies, but significant results remain elusive, perhaps doing everything to just buy time.

We get upset and angry but eventually get busy with other problems, concluding the issue is part of our fate. About ten or fifteen years ago, vehicles with vintage machinery did contribute significantly to pollution. However, holding vehicles with advanced technology, offering almost zero emission, solely responsible for pollution is not only incorrect but is unethical too. Year after year, governments have adopted the easiest way of imposing unfair restrictions on vehicles, as their owners do not have a strong organization to campaign for them.

Authorities, avoiding accountability, skillfully shift the blame to fire-crackers, stubble burning, and weather conditions and order bans that have no effect. Toxic fumes from firecrackers, stubble burning and road dust, get mixed with the voluminous vehicle emissions from persistent traffic congestion and heavy vehicular load on the roads, ultimately raising pollution levels, allowing the situation to spiral out of control. For once, even if vehicle emissions are accepted as the primary cause of pollution, constant neglect of other significant contributing factors, is untenable:-

* Most cities are choking with un – controlled increase in population with dismal evidence to decongest them by relocating or setting up offices with matching support services.

* As a result, there is a steady increase in the number of vehicles with corresponding increase in the emission volume. There is no evidence to either regulate or limit the number of vehicles.

* Most families own three or four cars for use by individual members adding to avoidable rise in emission levels. This perhaps is due to absence of reliable, clean and punctual public transport services within reasonable walking distance.

* Our cities still do not have an “integrated walking and public transport system” which caters for walking a distance of 400 to 500 hundred meters to access the service. There is no doubt that walkability and public transport are closely linked. “Cit ies like Madrid and Zurich have developed comprehensive policies that give priority to a safe, sustainable, and clean transport system…… cities that have a significant share of walking and public transport have the least amounts of car traffic and arguably a better quality of life.”

* City and inter-city transport vehicles, whether public or private, lack a uniform standard of comfort, cleanliness, upkeep, and affordable tariffs. This in consistency fails to encourage commuters to abandon the use of private cars or expensive taxis.

* Punctual public transport at shorter intervals will reduce waiting time and is likely to motivate commuters to forgo using individual cars, thereby reducing road load and congestion.

* There are no “end to end safe cycle routes,” reports Amit Bhatt, Managing Director, International Council on Clean Transportation, bringing out a neglected factor that can help ease congestion on roads. More importantly, the following factors directly contribute to hig her levels of air pollution. It is difficult to comprehend consistent inaction by the authorities to address them.

* The condition and quality of roads in almost all cities and highways continues to be poor, with potholes and dust-filled surfaces. As a result, vehicles speed up and slow down erratically, drivers apply brakes, and rev engines, unnecessarily increasing emissions and throwing dust up in the air.

* Patch work repairs to roads are uneven and do not last long leaving pebbles and dust. Tyres wear out faster on bad roads throwing rubber particles in the air which remain suspended in the air contributing to hazardous pollution.

* The accumulation of waste, such as polythene, bottles, and cans, across roads, open spaces, and drains, has significantly lowered urban hygiene standards. Additionally, road sides remain dusty, damaged, and covered with debris, which get further dispersed and pulverized, leading to suspended particles in the air and worsening environmental conditions.

* Frequent braking releases harmful dust from all types of brake pads, including asbestos, semi-metallic, NAO (Non-Asb – estos Organic brakes), throwing fine particles in the air, causing severe pollution.

* Even the tires of Electric Vehicles (EVs), which are heavier because of about 380 kg battery packs, are likely to wear faster due to greater friction.

* Overloaded trucks and buses are common features on roads causing the engines to emit higher emissions.

* Many electric auto-rickshaws still operate with sulfuric acid batteries. The lack of a standardized disposal process leads to the very unhealthy practice of used acid being dumped into drains. This practice not only contaminates underground soil and water but also releases harmful fumes that deteriorate air quality and pose respiratory risks.

* Even for safe lithium batteries with expected life span of about eight years, we see no road map for disposal making it another hazard in waiting in near future.

* Uncontrolled traffic results in hours of congestion forcing vehicles to crawl and burn fuel unnecessarily. Except for very few VIP spots, traffic police are rarely seen at busy inter-sections in most cities. The lack of driving discipline and alert police force exacerbates the issue. The entire police force seems to be dedicated to politicians and VIPs.

* There is no proper arrangement for parking vehicles near markets. Congestion becomes worse on holidays and festivals with every driver rushing to park the car right in front of the shop. * High rise garbage dumps release toxic fumes and smoke, raising the pollution and damaging air quality.

Stopping well-maintained vehicles from running is neither just nor ethical nor practical. Throwing away the hard-earned money of thousands of people is unwarranted since, as brought out, the vehicles are not the sole cause of pollution. To address the pollution crisis effectively, it is imperative to acknowledge and holistically tackle the myriad contributing factors. Governmental apathy to – wards these significant issues and the consistent, misguided focus on vehicle emissions alone will only perpetuate the crisis.

A comprehensive approach, addressing all contributing factors including recycling, is the need of the hour to achieve meaningful and lasting improvement in air quality. “Sooner or later, we will have to recognize that the Earth has rights, too, to live without pollution. What humankind must know is that human beings cannot live without Mother Earth, but the planet can live without humans” ~ Evo Morales. It is imperative that we take decisive action now, before it is too late.

(The writer is a retired Air Commodore, VSM, of the Indian Air Force)