Swiss monitoring system IQAir regularly places Delhi right at the top of cities with the world’s worst air. The poor air quality in the capital has sparked protests and provoked politicisation of the issue. What, however, eludes is solutions and what, in the meanwhile, remains the same is Delhi’s air — dangerous and unbreathable. Given the scale and gravity of the situation, it recently prompted the Chinese Embassy in India to offer help, saying it was willing to share its experience in controlling pollution.
But Delhi, it seems, is a little tipped towards conducting its own hit and trials. The three experiments at cloud seeding have not been successful; a move that experts from the Indian MET department have already dismissed in a letter to the Environment Minister. “Effective cloud seeding requires specific cloud conditions, which are absent during Delhi’s cold and dry winter months,” it said. Delhi's Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa would, however, have the nearly 60 million residents of the NCR believe that, “Delhi government is waging a war on pollution.”
In a statement, the Environment Minister also said, “I want to tell Delhi’s citizens that the government has installed anti-smog guns on high rise buildings, done dust mitigation with water sprinklers and are monitoring ongoing constructions.” However, he added that 10 years of damage cannot be undone in 7 months, attempting to pass the buck to the previous governments.
What the authorities need to do instead is look at the track of global cities who have successfully turned around the AQI numbers, despite rapid industrialisation. In 2014, Beijing’s air quality was deemed unsuitable for humans. A report by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences called the city nearly “uninhabitable for human beings.” Targeted policies and programmes brought down the city’s average PM 2.5 levels from around 90µg/m3 in 2013 to 58 µg/m3 in 2017.
While Beijing has raised the bar, several cities globally have set successful examples on pollution control measures. Amsterdam is well-known for its extensive cycling infrastructure, which has significantly reduced dependency on cars. New York has invested heavily on public systems of transport and expanded its electric bus fleet.
Also read: Delhi air turns 'severe,' AQI crosses 400 amid choking pollution
Pedestrian-only zones generously dot the entire city of Oslo, which has significantly improved its air quality. Almost throughout the nineties, Mexico City was one of the most polluted in the world and while the challenges remain, its air quality has vastly improved. As per a report in the UN environment programme, stringent emission inspections were implemented. They ensured compliance and reduced corruption, while an expanded public transit ensured more and more people used less and less cars. A major refinery was relocated outside the Valley of Mexico. Merely scrapping old vehicles without enough subsidies and incentives would lead to agitation rather than compliance. Mexico City doled out direct subsidies to old taxi owners in exchange for new efficient vehicles on low cost loans.
Smog used to be a winter staple of London in the 19th and 20th century when people warmed their homes by burning coal. In 1956, the UK passed the Clean Air Act, regulating both industrial and domestic smoke. The “smoke control areas” were imposed in towns and cities where only smokeless fuels could be burned. Heavy subsidies were offered for switching to cleaner fuels.
But leveraging technology the right way, speeded up the process in Beijing. Real-time and public data from Continuous Emissions Monitors at industrial locations and power plants helped in holding plant operators and regulators accountable. Which is why despite rapid industrialisation, measures like mass electrification of transport, aggressive afforestation and its action plan on ozone pollution have cleaned up the city’s air twice as fast as any other city.
Symbolic reassurance or long-term solution?
Apart from human life, the damage to infrastructure and buildings itself is both significant and visible. In some cases, irreversible. Conservationists have long warned of the effects of pollution on heritage buildings. As per a study published this year in the journal Heritage, Delhi’s pollution has caused the formation of black crusts on the Red Fort’s 20-metre high walls due to the “amorphous carbon and heavy metals” found in the atmosphere. The 2025 State of Global Air report estimates that in 2023, nearly 30 per cent of all air-pollution related deaths worldwide were accounted for by India. In the meanwhile, sustained continuous damage continues. Measures like cloud seeding, mist sprayers, anti-smog guns and artificial rain have had some impact on the anti-pollution discourse in the country but not on the air quality. Since they do little to minimise the sources of emissions. Unfortunately, Delhi has a lot to improve upon and fortunately, Delhi has a lot to be inspired by. But most importantly, it needs to act fast.
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