NCAP can’t drive change unless data, reporting issues are fixed

Two-thirds of the world’s most polluted cities are in India, and Delhi has the worst air among all capitals, the 2019 World Air Quality Report by IQAir AirVisual, which takes readings from 98 countries, said on Tuesday. The study was based on average yearly levels of PM2.5 concentration. (PM2.5 particles measure up to 2.5 microns in size and can enter the bloodstream via the respiratory system to travel through the body, causing problems such as asthma, lung cancer, and heart disease.)

The road map for cleaning Delhi’s air has been clear for some time. While the closure of power plants and big industry, natural gas transition across sectors, phase-out of old vehicles, reduction in truck numbers, BS-VI fuels and BS-IV standards, and more, has bent the curve, more disruptive action is needed for clean energy and technology transition, mobility transition and waste management to get the next big cut. There also needs to be a stronger awareness about the nature and direction of action to drive change more strategically and for effective impact.