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Eok winter, Delhi slips back into a familiar emergencya thick blanket of toxic substance haze Cities have been flooded, visibility reduced, schools closed, flights disrupted and hospitals reporting a rise in respiratory illnesses. Temporary measures have been introduced In form of Construction restrictions, vehicle restrictionsAnd work from home appeals, but they fail to translate into permanent solutions.
The national capital’s air quality crisis is not unique. Cities in the Gangetic plains in northern and eastern India, from Lucknow to Varanasi, experience similar winters. pollution spikes out Indialike city Tehran in Iran and Lahore in Pakistan are also struggling with seasonal haze. driven by geography, weather and emissionsWhat makes Delhi different is the severity, persistence and scale of its pollution, and how little has improved despite years of emergency responses,
In the past weeks, Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded more than 400 in many parts of Delhi – Levels considered “severe” under global pollution standards.
Long-term air quality data shows that no major Indian city currently meets safe air quality standards. The AQI was assessed from 2015 to November 2025 by Climate Trends, a research-based consultancy and capacity-building initiative based on data from India’s federal Central Pollution Control Board, which found that Every major metro city experiences unhealthy air For important parts of the year.
Delhi’s air pollution crisis on international stage This week when Singapore, the United Kingdom and Canada issued advisories to their citizens regarding the deteriorating air quality in northern India. Footballer Lionel Messi was also delayed in reaching Delhi for the final leg of his GOAT India tour due to pollution.
But there is one city that has managed to make it better air quality In just over a decade.
Even a few years ago, the pollution level in China’s capital was quite low. Beijing This regularly exceeded what was seen in Delhi today. Today, While Beijing is still polluted According to the standards of the World Health Organization, Its air is dramatically cleaner Compared to the beginning of 2010.
Data compiled by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air, an independent research organisation, shows Beijing’s average PM2.5 levels have fallen The figure has increased by almost two-thirds since 2013, following sweeping changes in transport, energy and urban policy.
Due to the air quality crisis in India, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Delhi recommended measures to be used by Beijing to tackle air pollution. Yu Jing shared a post on her official
He wrote about the steps Beijing has taken to tackle its air pollution crisis.
“Step 1: Vehicle emissions controls; adopt ultra-stringent regulations such as China 6NI (equivalent to Euro 6); phasing out older, high-emission vehicles; curbing car growth through license-plate lotteries and odd-even/weekend driving rules; building one of the world’s largest metro and bus networks; accelerating the transition to electric mobility; “Work with the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region on coordinated emissions reductions.”
While the comparison has reignited a debate in India, caution has been exercised against drawing simplistic parallels. Beijing’s clean air campaign was driven by a highly centralized, one-party system of governance that allowed for sweeping measures. India’s democratic political structure is far more fragmented, with air-quality control divided among municipal bodies, state governments, and multiple central agencies.
However, experts said Delhi could learn some lessons from Beijing to tackle its air pollution crisis.
Why does Delhi see an increase in pollution every winter?
To understand why Delhi’s winter air pollution is so severe, we need to look at its geography. The city is caught in what experts call a weather trap.
“With cold north-westerly winds blowing across the plains, minimum temperatures will drop further – making it more difficult for pollutants to spread,” says Mahesh Palawat, vice president of meteorology and climate change at private weather forecasting company Skymet Weather.
“As the temperature drops, the inversion layer thickens, creating a stronger barrier that prevents sunlight and air from breaking through and clearing the air.”
During winter, cold air near the ground becomes trapped beneath warm air above, creating a temperature inversion that prevents pollutants from rising and spreading. The Himalayan mountain ranges compound the problem by blocking northward air flow, allowing pollution to remain in northern India.
This is why Delhi’s air often remains toxic even when incidents of crop burning occur or emergency restrictions are imposed.
Why have India’s efforts to tackle pollution failed?
India’s response to air pollution has largely focused on crisis management: banning fireworks ahead of the Hindu festival of Diwali, deploying anti-smog guns that spray a fine mist of water into the air to capture and settle airborne dust and pollution particles, halting construction, restricting vehicles for a few days at a time. Experts argue that these measures are often poorly targeted and sometimes counterproductive.
“Air quality cannot be fixed through emergency measures alone,” says architect and urban planner Dikshu C Kukreja. “If cities continue to be planned around long commutes and congestion, pollution will keep coming back every winter.”
Delhi’s urban sprawl forces millions of people to travel long distances every day, often in private vehicles or slow-moving traffic. Despite short-term restrictions on construction or vehicle use, daily commuting becomes a constant source of emissions.
“Delhi is not just facing an air pollution problem, it is also facing a planning problem,” says Kukreja. “People are forced to travel long distances every day, and this daily commute becomes a major source of emissions.”
Beijing’s shift followed a different logic. After years of temporary restrictions, China introduced a comprehensive clean-air action plan in 2013 that simultaneously targeted transportation, industry, fuel use and regional coordination.
Authorities tightened vehicle emissions standards, restricted the growth of private cars through license-plate lotteries, massively expanded subway and bus networks and promoted rapid electrification. Coal boilers were phased out, heavy industry was relocated or closed, and pollution controls were implemented across the broader Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region rather than a single city.
Urban planners say the main lesson is that Beijing treated air quality as a system problem, not an annual emergency.
Kukreja argues that mobility planning and air-quality planning are inseparable.
“When distances are shortened and mobility becomes more efficient, emissions are reduced massively,” he says. “In this sense, the mobility plan itself becomes the air-quality plan.”
Construction dust is another area where experts say Delhi could see rapid gains if enforcement improves. Several Indian studies have identified construction activity as a major contributor to particle pollution during the winter months, yet compliance with dust-control regulations remains inconsistent.
“Construction is a major contributor to dust, but it is easiest to control if regulations are properly enforced,” says Kukreja. “Dust suppression, covered materials and site monitoring are not optional in dense cities like Delhi.”
In Beijing, construction controls were combined with penalties and real-time monitoring, limiting how much dust could be released even during periods of rapid development. Indian regulations exist on paper, but enforcement varies widely between sites and jurisdictions.
The Beijing experience also shows that visible improvements take time. Data compiled by international research groups indicate that pollution levels began to decline after China launched a nationwide clean air action plan in 2013, but meaningful gains only emerged after several years of sustained implementation. Temporary measures, such as factory closures during major events, provided short-term relief but did not produce lasting change.
This distinction matters for Delhi, where emergency responses such as odd-even traffic plans and temporary bans on construction are often implemented when pollution peaks.
Kukreja says the starting point should be “political will”.
“This is an issue of governance and administrative lapses,” he added, “resolving this issue requires a systemic approach rather than a seasonal approach.”