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The ambitious Air Pollution Mitigation Plan 2025 launched last month by the BJP-led Delhi government in one of the world’s most polluted cities may fall short on several parameters despite some redeeming features, says a leading environmental activist.Reflecting on the putting on ‘hold’ the fuel ban on end-of-life vehicles amid public pressure, which came into effect this week, Shambhavi Shukla of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) told this reporter: “In its decades-long campaign on the right to clean air, CSE has never recommended the phase-out of personal vehicles based on age. Instead, we have recommended the improvement of fuel and emission standards for vehicles – from BS-0 in the mid-1990s to BS-6 introduction in 2020.”Also Read | Delhi fuel ban: THESE vehicles will no longer get petrol, diesel from todayOf the multi-pollutants that have turned the national capital into a living hell, vehicular pollution is right at the top. The Delhi government said that only BS-VI vehicles, CNG vehicles, and electric vehicles will be allowed entry into the Union territory after November 1, 2025. This feature will not apply to vehicles already registered in Delhi, but would apply to commercial vehicles—large, medium, and heavy goods vehicles.According to Shukla, “Unless there is a unified transport system, a kind of a multi-modal arrangement, restricting it to just Delhi will not work. Delhi-Gurugram-Faridabad-Noida requires a multi-modal integrated transport system.”Such an arrangement is lacking in the anti-pollution plan, she said.‘Misses critical technological interventions’In Shukla’s estimate, the project could do with more technological assistance. The plan misses critical technological interventions such as remote sensing-based monitoring of emissions to identify gross polluters in real-time, which will help in the strong enforcement of the air pollution mitigation plan. Pilot studies of remote sensing have shown promising results, which will completely transform how on-road emission management is done.”Among the other key steps introduced by the Rekha Gupta government is the introduction of more electric vehicles on the capital’s roads. “By 2027, as many as 2,000 electric buses will ply the streets, and 18,000 public charging stations will be set up,” the chief minister said, adding that 2,299 e-autos will be deployed by Delhi Metro.Also Read | Why Delhi govt wants fuel ban for old vehicles on hold immediately?Shukla believes that better air quality monitoring, including the use of Chemical Transport Models (CTMs) for policy guidance, and the development of a public information system with health advisories, should be considered mandatory.The new plan does not include such sharing of public information, and without such guidance, a titanic battle against such a deadly environmental scourge will always face hurdles.‘Increased stubble burning’On the vexed issue of the air quality index (AQI) dipping due to increased stubble burning in the neighbouring states, Shukla said that more needs to be done. “Crop burning is a seasonal phenomenon. But more coordinated efforts are required for other sources of pollution, which are present throughout the year. Transboundary movement of pollution is a key issue, and this must be taken care of by not just focussing only on city-centric solutions,” she said.Air pollution in Delhi continues to be an unresolved problem. In winter months, the AQI levels often hit hazardous levels due to increased stubble burning in neighbouring states.The Delhi government’s other innovative moves include the installation of mist sprayers on electric poles across 13 pollution hotspots, and the introduction of anti-smog guns on commercial buildings of over 3,000 sq. m.On July 5, the Delhi government announced its decision to install water sprinklers on poles along the busy Rani Jhansi Road, which connects central and north Delhi. Officials said that the entire project is expected to take about two to three months to complete.The Delhi chief minister also said that the national capital would witness its first artificial rain “very soon” with the help of cloud seeding techniques. For cloud seeding and artificial rain, an MoU has been signed with IIT Kanpur as a pilot project.‘These are temporary solutions’Shukla, however, believes that these are temporary solutions and it would only help if pollution were fixed at the source itself. On the question of artificial rains, the CSE expert questioned the sanctity of the move “because it requires exact clouds to be present for the rain to happen.”Also Read | Delhi govt makes anti-smog guns mandatory for high-rise buildings, hotels, mallsSince taking office in February 2025, the Delhi government has implemented a series of ambitious measures, from a 25-point pollution control plan and a ban on older vehicles to mandatory anti-smog guns on buildings, cloud seeding trials, and a widespread dust control initiative.
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