- By Akansha Pandey
- Fri, 29 Aug 2025 11:24 AM (IST)
- Source:Jagran News Network
While Delhi's air may be clean at the moment thanks to the monsoon, both the current BJP government and the previous AAP government have been quick to take credit. The reality, however, is that even after many years, there has been no significant improvement in the city's severe air pollution. Experts believe the main reason for this is the failure to implement effective solutions on the ground year-round.
The data for the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) report, prepared by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, comes from the University of Washington. PM2.5 data from this source over the last 23 years (1998 to 2023) shows no major long-term change in pollution levels, only minor ups and downs. During this period, the years 2010-11 and 2015-16 were the most polluted.
Sunil Dahiya, founder and chief analyst at Envirocatalysts, says that due to Delhi's geography and slow wind, pollution particles get trapped and linger in the air for a long time. He agrees that a large part of Delhi's pollution originates from outside the city, but stresses that it is still crucial to control local sources of emissions within the National Capital Region (NCR) and the wider 300-400 km surrounding area (known as the air-shed).
Need to Improve Urban Infrastructure
According to Professor SN Tripathi, Dean of the Kotak School of Sustainability at IIT Kanpur, improving urban infrastructure is also essential to fight air pollution in Delhi. For example, he suggests that strengthening "first-mile and last-mile connectivity" would reduce traffic jams and their emissions. When people can easily get to and from public transport, they rely less on private vehicles.