Why India can't wish its air pollution crisis away

The new WHO report on the air quality problem in the world is depressing news.

While many in India have heaved a sigh of relief that Delhi is no longer the most polluted city in the world, it can't be seen as a sign of any improvement or of a "positive trend" in the country.

One, the data the WHO used is of 2013, secondly, India itself has four among the world's ten most polluted, and ten among the 20 worst polluted. We now boast the highest number of most polluted cities in terms of PM 2.5 concentrations.

The rapidly diminishing air quality in the country has emerged as a huge cause for concern for Indian citizens and, especially in the media, which has been consistently writing on the issue.

The prime sources of air pollution in India are coal based thermal power and vehicular emissions. These contribute majorly in particulate matter, sulphur oxides as well as nitrogen oxides.

What is adding to the air pollution is the process of unregulated urbanisation itself. The construction and demolition works lead to huge mobilisation in re-suspension of road dust and soil. It centralises the pollutants to a small location which is devoid of diluting mechanisms leading to a grimmer picture for the environment. It will be important for the government as well as the citizens to treat our expanding cities as an ecological entity, something like we do with hill-stations.

Our cities will fail to sustain themselves in the long-run, unless we do not regulate construction, the fuel used in transport, the burning of biomass including the waste we generate and assessing the kind of energy we use.

Research has shown that sweeping activities also increase the PM levels in urban surroundings.

A possible solution is mild sprinkling of water on the sweeping area beforehand, which can do wonders. But urban cities are grappling with water crises at the same time.

We may have clean air in homes supplied by air purifiers, which might not be following any guidelines. We may use masks outside, but how much will these measures protect us, and for how long, is uncertain. It's high time we found long.

The importance of cleaner fuel cannot be stressed enough. At this point in time, natural gas is the only credible, clean source that can address vehicular air pollution in India. It offers a fuel option that is not only cheap but also safe and much more efficient than other sources. The fuel has fewer impurities and its combustion generally results in less pollution.

CNG has become a important part of the fuel mix and is widely available in India now making it adaptable across the country. The CNG bus programme has delivered on the environmental and public health benefits for the public and it calls for an expansion. The option in front of the government is to create policies that allow the right balance of fuel mix, which is to say bringing the usage of coal, liquid fuels and natural gas at par in the mix.

Power plants in our country also need cleaner energy alternatives and more effective pollutant removal techniques. The government should incentivise the move towards greener (albeit more expensive) fuels for power generation. Further care must be taken while commissioning such plants that they are sufficiently away from the urban agglomerations so that their ill effects can be minimised.

Delhi government's Odd-Even scheme of January and April was a step that had its heart in the right place, but the results have had minor contribution in improving the situation. The assessment report by the CPCB of the January phase of odd-even stated that only a small amount of reduction was observed.

The reports of second phase have not shown much improvement in either the air quality or road congestion. Therefore, it can be said with certainty that a single factor or action cannot substantially reduce air pollution levels in Delhi or elsewhere in India. A comprehensive set of actions following an integrated approach is required to make substantial improvement in air quality.

The government's step to monitor air quality is welcome. The data will help scientists and researcher to come up with appropriate solutions. The monitoring agency must ensure that the data is comprehensive and audited. The quality of data must ensure international levels. To buttress this step, the government needs to encourage research in this area and in the area of fuel technology.

The government should reassess its way of how India produces and consumes energy and, together with its stakeholders, work towards a lower-carbon future.

State governments must work towards enforcement of national orders to monitor air quality and adopt fuel standards. India must adopt an energy system, which is more efficient, has a sustainable mix of sources, which must include renewable energy and natural gas to benefit the people.