Investigation into Delhi’s Awful Pollution Halted After Year and a Half, Sources Say

A comprehensive study aimed at identifying the sources of air Pollution in Delhi has been discontinued, a year and a half after its inception. The project, which involved real-time monitoring of Pollution sources, was a collaboration between the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-Kanpur) and the Delhi government, based on a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2021. The project had an allocated budget of Rs 12.72 crore and was part of the Delhi government’s larger strategy to tackle the city’s severe air pollution issues.

Source: DW News/YouTube

The central component of the study was the establishment of a ‘supersite’ at Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya on Rouse Avenue. This site, inaugurated in January last year and operational from November 2022, was equipped with advanced Pollution check equipment to monitor air quality and identify pollutants in real-time. The study also included a mobile van designed to be stationed at various Pollution hotspots around the city to provide additional data.

Despite the sophisticated setup, the project has now come to a halt following the expiration of the agreement between IIT-Kanpur and the Delhi government. The online dashboard, which was set up to share real-time Pollution data publicly, is also no longer accessible. This cessation has occurred despite the project’s inclusion in the summer 2022 and 2023 action plans for controlling air Pollution. However, it was notably absent from the recent action plan announced by Environment Minister Gopal Rai.

The discontinuation of this important study raises questions about the future use of the invested equipment and the overall strategy to combat Delhi’s pollution crisis. According to AAP spokesperson Reena Gupta, the decision to stop the study was influenced by bureaucratic hurdles rather than a lack of efficacy or necessity.

The project had not been without its controversies, having been briefly stalled last year due to a disagreement within the Delhi Pollution Control Committee. Moreover, after a directive from the Supreme Court last year to publish the data for the winter season of 2023-24, the study had resumed reporting data. The sudden stop of this study underscores the complexities and challenges in sustaining long-term environmental projects in large urban centers like Delhi.

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