Data dressing will not help in fight against pollution

In a city where the air quality is routinely "poor" or "very poor", you would think that every decision made to tackle air pollution would be strategic, data-driven, and laser-focused on the most affected zones.

- Bhavreen Kandhari

In a city where the air quality is routinely "poor" or "very poor", you would think that every decision made to tackle air pollution would be strategic, data-driven, and laser-focused on the most affected zones. Unfortunately, the Delhi government's latest move to install six new Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) across the Capital appears to defy that logic.

The new monitors are being placed at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Delhi Cantonment, Netaji Subhash University (West Campus), and the Commonwealth Games Sports Complex—all relatively low-density, green, and institutionally controlled environments. These are not areas grappling with the thick of Delhi's pollution crisis. Instead, they are among the city's better performing pockets when it comes to air quality.