When rains come, winters are not very far away. Delhi government is applauding its efforts of securing ‘cleanest and coolest’ July in nine yearswith an average Air Quality Index of 79. This improvement is largely attributable to consistent monsoon showers that have effectively washed away pollutants, leading to AQI levels dropping below 50 in many areas, categorizing the air quality as ‘very good’. The bigger question is whether they would be ‘securing’ Delhi air when winter dawns.
The annual winter crisis is caused by various factors including stubble burning in neighbouring states, vehicular emissions, industrial pollutants, and unfavourable meteorological conditions that trap pollutants close to the ground.
For the past few years, the BJP-led Centre has repeatedly pointed, and rightly so, at a lacklustre Arvind Kejriwal government for turning the national Capital into a gas chamber during the winter months. The value edition to this claim was done by equally indifferent attitude of the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government in addressing air pollution in the national Capital.
The two Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led state governments to defend their incompetence laid blame, rightly or wrongly, at the doors of the BJP-led Haryana government for turning Delhi into one of the most polluted city globally. Then Haryana had claimed that how was it responsible for the polluted air blowing from Punjab to Delhi.
So discredited have been the Kejriwal and Mann governments about their intent to solve the matter that Haryana government’s claim was taken on the face value.However, now it has been revealed that none of the AQI measurement units in Haryana including in upmarket townships like Gurgaon and Faridabad, both falling in Nation Capital Region (NCR), are functioning. This is reflective of the lackadaisical attitude of Haryana government on this matter.
It was recently reported in the newspapers that all 29 air quality monitoring stations in Haryana have been non-functional since April 2025 due to a lapsed maintenance contract.
This data void has hampered real-time pollution tracking and undermined the enforcement of pollution control measures, especially with winters not very far away.
Now that Delhi has a BJP-led government and also same party government in its immediate neighbouring states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and also the ‘superpower’ Union government sitting at the Raisina Hill, there should not be any excuses during the winter months for dirt in the air.This political alignment should facilitate synchronized efforts to tackle air pollution through coordinated action plans, resource sharing, and unified enforcement mechanisms.
However, this is easier said than done. Handling potential crisis during the winter months would need a multipronged approach.First and foremost, immediate restoration and upgrading of air quality monitoring stations in Haryana and other regions as accurate data collection would only facilitate timely interventions.
Next implementing and promoting sustainable agricultural practices, providing incentives for alternative crop residue management, and enforcing strict penalties for stubble burning as envisaged in the Supreme Court guidelines.Third, reviving in mission mode Delhi’s crumbled public transport infrastructure which could reduce vehicular emissions, a significant contributor to urban air pollution.
It must be mentioned here that Delhi government came under pressure and revoked the policy on scrapping the aged vehicles.Public pressure was created in this matter to revoke the policy as we failed to educate citizens about pollution sources and encouraging community participation in pollution reduction initiatives.
The present Minister for Environment in Delhi government Maninderjit Singh Sirsa has so far not been able to build confidence among citizens that Delhi that winter air would be cleaner than the previous years. Sirsa’s toolkit for fighting pollution so far has demonstrated anti-smog guns, drones, artificial rain, and air purifiers in parks.
These measures smirk of similar fake sentiments as created by the previous AAP government using Band-Aid solutions and not taking structurally transformative measures. They may offer photo opportunities but do not address core issues like stubble burning or vehicular emissions in a sustained way. Experiments like smog towers in Connaught Place or purified zones in open parks installed in the past have proved to be ineffective.
As mentioned earlier pollution in Delhi is largely shaped by sources outside the city—in Punjab, Haryana, and UP. Sirsa has not yet publicly demonstrated concrete new mechanisms for interstate coordination. Without such collaboration, emission caused by stubble burning will negate other efforts. And this time around the BJP would have to take the blame as there would be none other to share it.
Sidharth Mishra
Author and president, Centre for Reforms, Development & Justice