The Air Quality Crisis in India: An Analysis

Context

Every winter, Delhi and large parts of North India are shrouded in a thick layer of smog. Governments adopt quick measures such as cloud seeding, smog towers, odd-even rules, or water sprinkling, but air quality improves only temporarily. The real problem lies in India's air governance flaws, fragmented responsibilities, and short-term political incentives.

Why Pollution Management Fails in India

Over-reliance on Quick and Superficial Measures

• Measures such as cloud seeding, smog towers, odd-even rules, anti-smog guns, and festival bans are high-visibility measures.
• They are politically convenient, easily implemented, and fit within the budget.
• But these cannot replace long-term reforms such as clean fuels, waste management, industrial upgrades, or public transport improvements.

Fragmented Administrative Structure

Air quality management is fragmented across multiple institutions:

• Ministry of Environment
• Central Pollution Control Boards (CPCB/SPCBs)
• Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)
• Delhi Pollution Control Committee
• MCD, NDMC, NHAI, PWD
• Departments of Agriculture, Transport, Industry, Energy, etc.

Results

• No single institution has full authority or accountability.
• Inconsistencies between states, conflicting orders from courts, central, and local governments.
• Policy enforcement is weak and uneven.

Two Major Traps Affecting Policy

1. Intellectual Trap
   • Policymaking is often influenced by large research institutions, think tanks, or expert groups.
   • These solutions are technically sound, but they ignore the actual capacity, budgets, public behavior, informal economy, and political constraints of Indian municipal bodies.
   • As a result, policies stagnate at the pilot stage or fail to be implemented.
2. The Western Trap
   • Models from developed countries are implemented in India without considering the local context.
   • Conditions there differ from India's—strong enforcement, stable finances, and high institutional trust.
   • India's dense neighborhoods, informal activities, less reliable transportation, and limited staffing challenge the successful implementation of these models.

Key Policy Concerns

• Uneven municipal capacity
• Economic dependence on agricultural stubble
• Unregulated urban development
• Diesel-based transportation
• Informal labor markets
• Limited resources and high population pressure
  • All these factors together prevent policies from being implemented on the ground.

The Way Forward

• A modern and clear clean air law
  • Clear definitions of which institution will have leadership, who will be accountable, and how decisions will be made are essential.
  • This law should strengthen collaborative institutions rather than creating a powerful regulator.
• Multi-year, stable funding
  • Air quality improvement is not a one-year project; it requires sustained investment.
  • Stable funding will increase staff, improve monitoring systems, and create long-term programs.
• Making law enforcement transparent and visible
  • Publicizing compliance data increases the credibility of regulations.
  • Consistency in punitive action is essential.
• A new professional category of “managers”
  • Experts who understand science, administration, and politics.
  • Their role is to translate scientific knowledge into practical policies.
  • This will reduce the “expert-local administration” gap.
• Policy design tailored to Indian conditions
  • Solutions should be based on what Indian agencies can actually implement.
  • Community acceptance, local budgets, social behavior, and city capacity should be taken into account.

Conclusion

India doesn't lack ideas, technologies, and expertise; what's lacking is alignment between expert recommendations and actual capacity, between global models and Indian soil, between political priorities and long-term commitment. Clean air is not just a weather issue, but a question of public health, productivity, and the basic functionality of cities. High-tech tools can provide temporary relief, but lasting solutions are only possible through governance reforms tailored to Indian conditions.