Combating Air Pollution: Strategies for Cleaner Air – By Cdr Alok Mohan
Air pollution is one of the most serious environmental challenges facing modern societies, especially in rapidly urbanizing regions. It occurs when harmful substances such as particulate matter, toxic gases, and chemical pollutants are released into the atmosphere, degrading air quality and posing severe risks to human health, ecosystems, and climate. Prolonged exposure to polluted air can lead to respiratory illnesses, cardiovascular diseases, and reduced quality of life, making air pollution a critical public health and policy concern worldwide.
- Immediate Government & Community Measures
Due to extremely poor air quality, authorities have activated strict emergency pollution control measures:
“No PUC, No Fuel” rule: Vehicles without valid Pollution Under Control certificates are being barred from refueling to reduce vehicular emissions.
Restriction older vehicles and diesel trucks to cut emissions.
Construction and demolition bans, including private and government sites.
Remote-work and school shifts (online classes) to limit outdoor exposure and commuter emissions.
These are short-term reactive steps to try to relieve the crisis while longer solutions are pursued.
- What We Can Do Right Now
(Especially important when AQI is > 400 — hazardous to everyone’s health)
Stay safe at home
Keep windows/doors closed during peak pollution hours — ventilate only briefly midday when AQI dips slightly.
Use high-efficiency air purifiers (HEPA filters) indoors where you spend most time.
Wipe surfaces with a damp cloth to trap dust instead of stirring it up.
Protect your health outdoors
Wear N95/N99 respirator masks — these filter fine PM2.5 particles better than cloth masks.
Avoid outdoor exercise — physical activity increases pollutant intake deep into lungs.
Limit unnecessary trips outside, especially in mornings and evenings when smog peaks.
Boost your body’s defense
Eat antioxidant-rich foods (fruits, veggies, omega-3s) and stay hydrated — this helps the body cope with pollution stress.
Indoor lung-friendly habits like saline nasal rinses can reduce irritation.
- Household & Daily Lifestyle Habits
These reduce exposure and emissions over time:
Indoor air quality
Air purifiers in bedrooms and living areas.
Indoor plants like snake plant, spider plant, peace lily — can help slightly filter indoor air.
Avoid burning incense, candles, mosquito coils, or tobacco indoors.
Travel & commute
Use public transport: metro, buses, carpool instead of solo car use.
Work from home if your employer allows, especially on hazardous AQI days.
- Structural & Long-Term Solutions
These require policy action and wider community participation:
Agricultural reforms
Alternatives to crop burning like Happy Seeder and in-field residue management reduce seasonal smog.
Vehicular pollution reduction
Faster shift to EVs and cleaner fuel vehicles.
Tight enforcement of emission norms — stopping fake PUC certificates.
Construction Dust Controls
Cover construction material, install dust suppression systems (smog guns/water sprinklers). (AQI)
Green cover & urban planning
Massive tree plantation drives to increase city green cover, capturing some airborne particles. (AQI)
Energy & industrial changes
Reduce coal and biomass burning in restaurants/hotels; replace with LPG or electric alternatives.
Control industrial emissions strictly.
- Why This Happens Every Winter
Delhi-NCR regularly sees AQI spikes in winter due to:
Temperature inversion traps pollutants near the ground.
Low wind speeds and little rainfall reduce natural cleansing.
Seasonal stubble burning from nearby states adds PM particles.
This means short-term fixes alone don’t solve the root causes — long-term, coordinated action is essential.
Suggestions:-
Restoring old dry lakes can help in cloud formation, but indirectly and at a local scale rather than guaranteeing rainfall. When lakes are revived, the increased surface water leads to higher evaporation, adding moisture to the air and raising local humidity. Warm, moist air rises, cools, and condenses into clouds under suitable atmospheric conditions, thereby supporting low-level cloud development. Multiple restored lakes across a region can collectively improve the microclimate by lowering surface temperatures, enhancing air circulation, and sustaining cloud movement, especially during the monsoon. However, lake restoration alone cannot create rain or influence large weather systems such as monsoons. Instead, it acts as a supportive ecological process that improves climate balance, groundwater recharge, and air quality, making it an important long-term strategy for environmental resilience rather than a quick solution to rainfall or pollution problems.
- Winds naturally flow toward low-pressure areas, and humans can support local wind generation by managing heat, water, vegetation, and urban layout. These methods improve ventilation, disperse pollution, and stabilize microclimates—but they work best as part of long-term, nature-based planning rather than mechanical or instant solutions.
Winds are generated by pressure differences—air always flows from high-pressure areas to low-pressure areas. Creating or strengthening low-pressure zones can therefore induce wind flow, but only at local scales and within natural atmospheric limits. Here is how it works and what can realistically be done.
When an area heats up, the air above it becomes warm, expands, and rises, creating low surface pressure. Surrounding cooler, denser air then moves in to replace it, and this horizontal movement of air is what we experience as wind. This is the same basic mechanism behind sea breezes, land breezes, and urban wind patterns.
Ways low-pressure zones can be encouraged (indirectly):
Large water bodies (lakes, wetlands): Water heats more slowly than land, creating temperature contrasts that drive local breezes and circulation.
Green cover and forests: Vegetation cools land through evapotranspiration, helping maintain pressure gradients that support airflow.
Urban design: Open corridors, green belts, and reduced high-rise congestion allow pressure-driven winds to move freely instead of being blocked.
Reducing urban heat islands: Replacing concrete with reflective surfaces, soil, and greenery prevents stagnant hot air pockets.
Thermal contrast management: Alternating zones of cooler (water/green) and warmer (urban) areas helps sustain convection and airflow.
What cannot be done:
It is not possible to artificially create large-scale low-pressure systems strong enough to control regional winds or monsoons. Such systems depend on planetary-scale energy, ocean temperatures, and atmospheric circulation far beyond human engineering.
- Diverting traffic in different directions can help reduce air pollution, especially in congested urban areas. When traffic is concentrated on a few major roads, vehicles move slowly, idle longer, and accelerate frequently, all of which increase exhaust emissions and particulate matter. By redistributing traffic across multiple routes, congestion is reduced, vehicle speeds become more uniform, and fuel combustion becomes more efficient, leading to lower per-vehicle emissions. Traffic diversion also prevents the formation of pollution hotspots near busy intersections and residential zones, improving local air quality. While it is not a standalone solution, strategic traffic management—combined with public transport use and cleaner vehicles—can meaningfully contribute to reducing overall air pollution.
- Cloud seeding and rainfall can help reduce air pollution, mainly by washing pollutants out of the air through a process known as wet deposition. When artificial cloud seeding enhances rainfall, water droplets capture suspended pollutants such as particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), dust, and some gaseous pollutants as they fall to the ground, temporarily improving air quality. Rain also cools the atmosphere, reduces dust resuspension, and increases humidity, which helps suppress the spread of airborne particles. However, the pollution reduction effect is usually short-term and depends on existing cloud conditions, rainfall intensity, and wind patterns. Therefore, while cloud seeding and rain can provide temporary relief during severe pollution episodes, they are not permanent solutions and must be complemented by long-term emission control measures.
- In the NCR, several Class-A category industries that are non-compliant with environmental norms continue to operate despite being identified as dangerously polluting, contributing significantly to deteriorating air quality. These industries release high levels of particulate matter, toxic gases, and industrial fumes, often due to outdated technology, poor emission controls, or weak enforcement. Air pollution in the region can be substantially reduced if governments strictly initiate and implement essential regulatory requirements, such as mandatory installation and real-time monitoring of emission control systems, regular third-party environmental audits, and immediate penalties or shutdowns for violations. Providing clear timelines for technological upgrades, ensuring transparency in compliance data, and strengthening inter-agency coordination can further curb industrial emissions. Effective enforcement, rather than policy alone, is crucial to ensuring that industrial growth does not come at the cost of public health and environmental safety.
- Using tall buildings in high-AQI zones for controlled water sprinkling can help reduce air pollution in Delhi, though it works best as a supportive, short-term measure. When fine water mist is sprayed from elevated heights, it can bind with airborne particulate matter such as PM10 and PM2.5, causing these particles to become heavier and settle down instead of remaining suspended in the air. This process can temporarily lower dust levels, especially near traffic corridors, construction hotspots, and industrial clusters. Additionally, water sprinkling helps cool the surrounding air, reducing dust resuspension caused by heat and vehicle movement. However, its effectiveness depends on proper design, mist size, wind conditions, and water availability, and it cannot replace emission control at the source. When strategically implemented alongside traffic management, construction dust control, and industrial regulation, elevated water sprinkling can contribute to localized improvement in air quality in Delhi.
- Encouraging collective transportation by offices, industries, and institutions can significantly help in fighting air pollution in Delhi. When employees use shared buses, shuttles, carpools, or organized transport instead of individual private vehicles, the total number of vehicles on the road is reduced, leading to lower emissions of particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide. Fewer vehicles also mean less traffic congestion, smoother traffic flow, and reduced fuel wastage from idling and frequent braking. Large-scale adoption of collective transport by workplaces can substantially cut peak-hour pollution, especially in high-density corridors of Delhi-NCR. When supported by government incentives, dedicated lanes, and integration with public transport systems, collective transportation becomes a practical and effective strategy to improve air quality and protect public health.
- Horticulture and planting more trees can help fight air pollution and reduce AQI by acting as natural air filters and climate regulators. Trees and shrubs trap airborne particulate matter such as PM10 and PM2.5 on their leaves, bark, and branches, preventing these pollutants from remaining suspended in the air. Through processes like photosynthesis, plants absorb carbon dioxide and some harmful gases while releasing oxygen, improving overall air quality. Green cover also lowers ambient temperatures by providing shade and through evapotranspiration, which reduces dust resuspension and slows the formation of pollution hotspots. When strategically planned along roadsides, industrial zones, and urban open spaces using pollution-tolerant native species, horticulture can significantly contribute to long-term AQI reduction and healthier urban environments.
- Strategically shifting government and private offices to temporary locations in lower-pollution zones on the periphery of the NCR can help in fighting air pollution on a temporary basis. Such relocation reduces daily commuter traffic entering highly polluted central areas, leading to fewer vehicle emissions during peak hours and easing congestion-related pollution. Decentralizing office activity also lowers local energy demand, construction stress, and pressure on already polluted urban cores, allowing air quality in hotspot zones to stabilize. While this measure does not eliminate pollution sources permanently, it can provide short-term relief during severe AQI episodes when combined with work-from-home policies, staggered office timings, and improved public transport, making it a practical emergency response strategy for Delhi-NCR.