The air pollution in Delhi remains at a high level annually due to the combination of a number of factors. None of the factors is difficult to handle, but a combination of them forms a dense smog that hangs on the city, particularly during winter.
The primary cause is as a result of stubble burning in other neighboring states such as Punjab and Haryana. Farmers engage in the practice of burning the farm leftover crops to open the field as soon as possible to enable the next planting period. When this smoke finds its way to Delhi, it combines with the already contaminated air in the city and makes the situation to be a lot worse. Although the fire is done outside Delhi, the effect is massive since the smoke is blown directly to the area by the wind.
There is also another huge contribution by vehicle emissions. There are enormous cars, bikes, autos, buses and commercial vehicles in Delhi on the road daily. Traffic jam implies that engines take more time to run, and more pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and PM are emitted. Although steps have been made such as cleaner fuel and improved public transport, it is the sheer number of vehicles that continues to raise the levels of emission.
Another source is construction dust. Delhi is never finished with something- building roads, flyovers, buildings and metro lines. This emits fine dust to the atmosphere. The dust is easily dispersed when the places are not covered or watered, particularly during dry seasons.
The winter weather is not able to help. Cold weather and low winds help to keep the pollutants near the earth and this is referred to as winter inversion. The pollution does not spread upwards but rather forms a blank over the city. The smog is also significantly contributed by even the daily activities such as cooking, commuting or running generators due to the low air movement.
The problem is also exacerbated by industries near Delhi, burning of waste, and dust of the unpaved roads. When all these sources are put together the air quality deteriorates by a huge margin.
Then the high level of pollution in Delhi is not due to only one thing. It is a combination of plan fires in the farms, heavy traffic jams, construction that is in progress, dry weather and winter weather patterns. It needs a social effort on a state-to-state level, improved regulation, greener transportation means and transformations in farming and construction to be solved.
