Council on Energy, Environment and Water Integrated | International | Independent
Delhi’s air pollution crisis remains one of the city’s most pressing urban governance challenges. Yet, despite various government interventions such as the Winter and Summer Action Plans and the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), the problem persists. Over the last seven years, there has been some improvement — Delhi has seen an increase in days with Air Quality Index (AQI) <200 from 159 in 2018 to 209 in 2024, while the number of days with AQI>200 has declined from 206 to 157. However, levels of PM2.5 (a key pollutant with severe health implications) remain alarmingly high, averaging 103 µg/m3 in 2024, which is more than 2.5 times the permissible limits set by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Despite these gains, public awareness and engagement remain low.
A survey conducted by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) in association with the Department of Environment (DoE) and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) found that about 60 per cent of respondents were unaware of the various public grievance redressal systems available to them, highlighting the need for stronger citizen involvement in air quality management.
Figure 1: Annual trend in Air Quality Index from 2018-2024 in Delhi
Source: CEEW Analysis; Data from Air Lab, DPCC
What options do citizens have? Enter public grievance redressal systems
Air pollution stems from multiple sources, including vehicles, road dust, biomass burning for cooking and heating, industries, open waste burning, dust from construction sites, and crop residue burning. Addressing these requires a multi-stakeholder approach, including government agencies, civil society, including citizens. Public grievance redressal systems serve as a crucial tool for citizen engagement, enabling residents to report environmental violations and civic concerns and ensure government action in a timely manner.
Several digital tools and official platforms exist, that allow citizens to register complaints through the city and state government's website, social media pages, helpline numbers and specific apps:
CEEW researchers helped train DPCC environment engineers on the identification and mitigation of sources in hotspots in 2023. The team helped identify and onboard over 4000 sources in all hotspots of Delhi, out of which about 2500 were resolved in consecutive months.
While most of these tools and platforms help create a channel of communication with the authorities, there are certain challenges that exist with their operation. First, most of these platforms exist only for smartphones. Second, each complaint raised has a different timeline and process for resolution and some complaints also require inter-department coordination so it may sometimes take a while to get the complaints resolved. Third, maintenance and updates of these apps need to be regularised to ensure ease of use by the public. Fourth, these tools and platforms need to be popularised with citizens through appropriate channels to ensure they remain active and efficiently used. It is imperative that the issues of the city are highlighted on a regular basis so that grievance resolution remains a priority for authorities.
Moving forward: A collective movement for cleaner air
When citizens actively engage with local and state authorities, they can create demand for cleaner air and further development. Highlighting infrastructure gaps and demanding improvements – such as better road conditions, enhanced public transport, separate walking and cycling tracks, waste management reforms, and increased urban greenery – can significantly improve both air quality and overall quality of life for citizens. Citizens can use the various platforms discussed above or other local alternatives to raise concerns, stay updated on initiatives, and engage in transparent discussions.
As the world’s largest democracy, India must innovate and champion participatory approaches to air quality management at the local level. Strength lies in collective action. Through shared responsibility and sustained engagement, we can accelerate improvements in air quality, ensuring a healthier future for all. It’s a win-win for everyone.
