Delhi fails pollution targets: Road dust, vehicle, waste woes continue

Delhi has missed critical pollution control targets in road dust management, vehicle emissions, and waste processing, exacerbating air quality issues ahead of the winter season

Delhi continues to grapple with worsening air quality, particularly during its annual pollution season, highlighting its failure to meet key targets in road dust control, vehicular emissions, and waste management. While stubble burning remains a focus, other significant factors contributing to pollution have been neglected.

Road dust control: A major contributor to air pollution

A national government review conducted on September 23, ahead of the pollution season, flagged Delhi's inadequate road dust control measures. The review revealed that of the 8,002 km of roads requiring daily mechanised sweeping, only 2,795 km were being covered. The shortfall in mechanical road sweeping machines (MRSMs) further compounded the issue, with Delhi operating just 85 MRSMs as of July 2024—far below the target of 206, according to The Economic Times.

 

 

In contrast, neighbouring states such as Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan have largely met their MRSM targets.

 

Other elements of road dust management, including greening and paving roadsides, also lagged. By July 31, 199 km of central verges remained ungreened, and 278 km of roadsides were unpaved. These delays hinder efforts to curb road dust, which contributes 40% of PM10 and 20% of PM2.5 levels in the region, according to studies cited in the report.

Gaps in vehicular pollution control

Vehicular emissions remain another significant challenge. The Centre's September review noted that Delhi had aimed to procure 2,350 electric buses in 2024, but none had been acquired. Similarly, the rollout of EV charging infrastructure was behind schedule, with only 3,100 of the targeted 4,793 charging stations installed by the review date.

 

Adding to the issue, Delhi's ageing vehicle fleet includes 5.92 million vehicles over 15 years old as of June 2024. Despite this, enforcement has been lax, with only a fraction of these vehicles impounded in 2023 and the first half of 2024.

Delays in solid waste management

Delhi's pollution woes are further aggravated by delays in waste management. The formation of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi was stalled for nearly two years, delaying critical projects. As of August 1, 2024, the city had 16.04 million metric tonnes (MT) of legacy waste at its three major landfills—Bhalswa, Ghazipur, and Okhla.

 

Delhi generates 11,342 tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) daily, but only 8,410 tonnes are processed, leaving about 3,000 tonnes to be dumped at landfill sites.

 

Addressing these gaps in road dust control, vehicular emissions, and waste management is crucial for Delhi to meet its air quality targets. While capacity additions in waste processing are anticipated by 2027, immediate interventions are necessary to mitigate the environmental impact in the short term.