Clearing the air about the pollution in Delhi

Every winter, Delhi's air turns hostile.

- Dikshu C Kukreja

We speak of smog, of choking lungs, of emergency measures, of temporary fixes.We debate numbers on an AQI scale and brace ourselves for the next announcement — odd-even, construction bans, school closures. And yet, once the air clears marginally, so does our collective urgency.

This approach is deeply flawed.

Delhi's air pollution crisis cannot be understood or solved through a seasonal prism. It is not an episodic failure of weather or a short-term administrative lapse. It is the outcome of systemic choices in how we have planned, governed, and moved through our city over decades. If we continue to rely on bandage solutions, we will continue to suffocate, slowly but surely.

What Delhi needs is not another annual firefight, but a coherent, structural response. Allow me to outline this through a few clear steps.

From open city to endless sprawl:

For years, Delhi has taken pride in being an open, green Capital. But this openness has quietly decayed into an unchecked sprawl. We have moved away from the time-tested principles of compact, high-density urban planning and instead produced a city where daily commutes of 50 to 70 kilometres have become normal.

As economic prosperity rises, the first symbol of success often becomes a personal vehicle. Not because people reject public transport, but because the city leaves them little choice. This dependence on private vehicles has inevitably led to congestion; and congestion, not just vehicle numbers, is one of the primary contributors to vehicular pollution.

The solution is not to scold citizens or restrict them intermittently. It is to provide a sustainable, affordable, and safe alternative: An active, vibrant, and reliable public transport ecosystem.