Delhi turns to scientific institutions for fresh solutions to worsening air crisis

New Delhi: In a renewed push to combat the Capital’s deteriorating air quality, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has formally approached India’s premier scientific institutions seeking research-backed interventions to tackle pollution.

In a letter sent on May 9, the DPCC invited all Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to submit detailed concept notes proposing solutions to Delhi’s persistent air pollution problems. The committee has asked

for submissions of up to 5,000 words, accompanied by digital presentations, to be delivered within 15 days.

The proposals, according to officials, will be reviewed and shared with the Delhi government, which may consider adopting select solutions. There is also the possibility of incentives for chosen ideas, the letter noted. The initiative is part of a broader strategy to integrate advanced scientific insight and technological innovation into policymaking.

The DPCC has outlined 11 specific challenges that it hopes the institutions will address. These include vehicular emissions, industrial pollution, biomass and stubble burning, road dust, and emissions from construction activities. The committee also cited policy implementation gaps, climatic and geographical constraints, limited public awareness, and inadequate regional cooperation as contributing factors. In addition to solution proposals, the committee emphasised the need for a real-time source apportionment study, a scientific approach to identify and quantify the contributions of various pollution sources. Such a study, it said, is essential for data-driven policymaking. The DPCC also raised the potential deployment of low-cost PM2.5 and PM10 sensors at various points across Delhi to enhance monitoring capabilities.

Delhi has consistently ranked among the most polluted cities globally. During peak smog season last year, on November 18, the capital’s Air Quality Index (AQI) soared to 494, among the highest readings recorded since 2015. Despite previous interventions, recurring factors like traffic emissions, industrial activity, and seasonal stubble burning have kept pollution levels dangerously high. Air pollution was also a central issue in the recent elections. The newly elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has promised to reduce Delhi’s pollution levels by 50 per cent by the year 2030.

As the city grapples with another year of worsening air quality, the DPCC’s appeal to the scientific community signals an urgent shift toward evidence-based, research-led environmental governance.