It has once again fallen to the apex court of the land to force recalcitrant governments – both at the Centre and in the states – to take urgent action to address the critical air quality problem in the national capital. On Tuesday, Delhi’s air quality was classified as ‘hazardous’. With air quality ranging from ‘severe’ to ‘very poor’ over the past several days, the SC slammed the government for inaction and suggested immediate steps, including the imposition of a total lockdown for a few days, to bring the situation under some kind of control.
In fact, the SC observed that the government was focussing on blaming stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana for Delhi’s air quality issues while the affidavits filed by both the Delhi government and the Centre showed that urban causes such as construction, industrial activity, road dust and above all, transportation exhaust were actually the major causes of pollution in the capital. While stubble burning is an issue and worsens the problem during a short span, 90 per cent of the pollution is caused by urban activity-related factors.
While this has been a recurrent problem over the past several years, there have been no holistic attempts to address root causes. Temporary fixes, such as the odd-even rule tried a few years ago, or temporary bans on construction or industrial activity, have proved both ineffective and difficult to implement. Further, as the Delhi government’s counsel pointed out, any measures taken in the capital alone would be useless unless adjoining states which constitute the National Capital Region take similar and coordinated action. This requires political will and leadership, both of which have been notable by their absence so far.
It is time our elected leaders are held accountable for their unconscionable failure to come up with effective solutions to a problem which threatens the health and safety of millions.
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