Delhi Air Crisis: PMO Seeks Comprehensive Study on Pollution Sources, Prioritizes Dust Mitigation

The Prime Minister's Office has asked the Commission for Air Quality Management and the Central Pollution Control Board to speed up work on a revised emission inventory and source apportionment study.

The direction was issued before the National Green Tribunal was told last week that pollution control measures in Delhi NCR were still being guided by outdated emissions data.

Focus on Dust and Road Redevelopment

Given the high contribution of dust to particulate pollution, the PMO asked for a time-bound action plan backed by adequate funding to redevelop major urban and industrial roads. The plan stresses complete paving and greening of road shoulders, along with reducing dust from construction and demolition waste. Officials noted that around 8,000 tonnes of such waste is generated daily, while processing capacity remains insufficient.

The instructions were issued during a task force meeting on October 23 chaired by P K Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister. Senior representatives from pollution monitoring bodies, secretaries from at least eight ministries, and Chief Secretaries of Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh were present.

Vehicles, Waste, and Industrial Sources Reviewed

The meeting reviewed efforts to curb emissions from dust, transport, municipal waste, stubble burning, industries and thermal power plants. Officials highlighted that Delhi alone has more than half of all registered vehicles in the NCR. They also pointed out that 37 percent of vehicles in Delhi NCR still follow outdated BS I to BS III norms.

Last Wednesday, the National Green Tribunal was informed by senior advocate Sanjay Upadhyay that although a real-time source apportionment study was completed in 2023, the corresponding action plan had not been updated.

On Sunday, the overall air quality improved slightly across Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad due to better wind conditions. The region recorded "poor" air quality after several days rated as "very poor."

Industrial and Power Plant Emissions Under Scrutiny

CAQM informed the task force that several thousand kilometers of industrial roads have been prioritized for redevelopment. Officials also discussed industrial pollution, noting that IIT Kanpur is working on stricter emission norms for select sectors. Of the nearly 50,000 industries in NCR, about 11,000 are classified as polluting units. While most have shifted from fossil fuels to piped natural gas, installation of pollution control devices and real-time monitoring systems continues.

Thermal power plants within a 300 kilometer radius of Delhi were also reviewed. Fourteen of the 35 units have installed flue gas desulphurization systems to curb sulfur dioxide emissions. The Ministry of Power, CPCB and state pollution control boards were asked to ensure compliance across all identified plants.

New Study Underway Across Multiple Sectors

Government officials said work has begun on a new source apportionment and emission inventory study. "The work began a few months ago and the CPCB was entrusted with the task of engaging with IITs and other institutions to study key 7 to 8 sectors and sub-sectors contributing significantly to pollution. Trans boundary pollution will also be studied," officials said.

A 2018 study by The Energy and Research Institute and the Automotive Research Association of India remains the primary reference for policymakers. It found that transportation contributed 39 percent of Delhi's PM 2.5 pollution. Road dust contributed 18 percent, power plants 11 percent and industries 3 percent. The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology's 2018 inventory also found transportation to be the largest PM 2.5 contributor.

Climate Trends data shows that Delhi recorded the highest annual average AQI almost every year between 2015 and 2025, with the peak value reaching 250 in 2016.