The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjacent Areas (CAQM) has formulated a comprehensive policy to reduce the menace of air pollution in Delhi-NCR, which is a major step towards overall improvement of the air quality of the National Capital Region (NCR) through a differentiated geographical approach and action schedules. This policy contains sectoral recommendations for Central Government, NCR State Governments and GNCTD agencies and departments along with Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and State Pollution Control Boards (PCB) of NCR to prevent, control and abate air pollution in NCR. including industry, vehicles/transport, construction and demolition (C&D), road and open space dust, municipal solid waste incineration, crop residue incineration etc.
The policy formulated by CAQM also addresses thermal power plants (TPP), clean fuels and electric mobility, public transport, traffic management, diesel generators (DG), cracking of crackers and reduction of air pollution through greening and plantations. This comprehensive CAQM plan aims to reduce air pollution mainly in Delhi and NCR. Due to the deficit in infrastructure and systems across the NCR sub-regions, large differences in basic actions and varying levels of urbanization, a differentiated approach and timelines have been proposed for different sub-regions. These sub-areas include:
National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi
NCR Districts near Delhi – Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat, Jhajjar, Rohtak, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar and Baghpat
Other districts of NCR
Entire state of Punjab and districts of Haryana outside NCR, primarily to deal with episodic stubble burning events
The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in its order dated 16.12.2021 in WP (Civil) No. 1135 of 2020 in Aditya Dubey (Minor) and Anr v/s UOI & Ors. directed the CAQM that in order to “find a permanent solution to the menace of air pollution experienced annually in Delhi and NCR, suggestions may be invited from the general public as well as industry experts”.Further, in accordance with the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, the Commission’s resolution dated 7.1.2022 constituted a panel of experts. The expert group assessed the proposals received, worked with stakeholders and experts, as well as with various stakeholders and representatives of the state administration.
Apart from considering the suggestions received, the expert group also reviewed and examined the existing scientific literature, relevant policies, regulations, programs and funding strategies of the central and state governments in various sectors, current state of operations and best practice approaches. The proposals received came from civil society, research bodies, industry, experts, academia, individuals, etc. and related to mitigation in key sectors of air pollution, air quality management, monitoring framework and strengthening of institutions for implementation.
The scope of this multi-sector assessment included industry, power plants, vehicles and transport, diesel generators, dust sources such as construction/demolition projects/roads and open spaces, municipal solid waste/biomass burning, episodic events such as stubble burning, firecrackers and other diffuse sources. The inputs and suggestions received in a series of stakeholder consultations have been duly incorporated in the relevant sections and this participatory approach has enriched the design of a comprehensive policy to curb air pollution in Delhi-NCR.
The expert group proposed short-term (up to one year), medium-term (one-three years) and long-term (preferably three to five years) measures, taking into account the related problems and complexity. This time frame is further differentiated for different sub-regions/areas/districts/cities to give everyone room for transformation to meet the common air quality objective. Critical areas of transformation aimed at meeting national ambient air quality standards generally include:
•Broad access to affordable clean fuels and technologies in industry, transport and households
•Mobility transition including mass transport, electrification of vehicles, building pedestrian and cycling infrastructure and reducing the use of personal vehicles, etc.
•Circular economy for the material recovery of waste to prevent its storage and incineration
•Managing dust from C&D activities, roads/right-of-way (RoW) and open spaces with appropriate technology, infrastructure and greening measures
•Strict time-bound implementation, better monitoring and compliance.
The Commission has already shared this policy with the Ministries / Departments of the Central Government, State Governments of NCR, GNCTD and various agencies to take comprehensive measures regarding Air Pollution Control Policy in NCR. The policy paper is available from the website of the Commission i.e. caqm.nic.in.
