Delhi government constitutes expert committee to combat capital's hazardous air

New Delhi: The Delhi government has constituted an expert committee to provide independent ideas, suggestions and solutions to tackle the capital's chronic air quality crisis, officials said on Monday.

The committee is key to the government's five-pronged pollution-control strategy, which focuses on innovation, scientific management of dust and solid waste, action against polluting industries, reduction of vehicular emissions, and long-term efforts to make Delhi greener and healthier.

Officials said the move marks a departure from earlier approaches that relied largely on regulatory orders without structured expert consultation.


To ensure faster execution of pollution-related decisions, the government has also set up the Implementation Committee on Control of Air Pollution (ICCAP), aimed at translating expert recommendations and government schemes into effective on-ground action.

According to officials, the Special Expert Committee comprises 11 members, including former secretaries, former chairpersons of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), secretaries of the environment and forest departments, representatives from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), and experts from institutions such as IIT Kanpur and IIT Delhi.

The implementation committee has 16 members, including the chief secretary, MCD commissioner, DDA vice-chairperson, NDMC chairperson, DUSIB chief executive officer, special commissioner of police (Traffic), and other senior officials.

Apart from this, the government has identified vehicular pollution as a key focus area, with large-scale road infrastructure upgrades currently underway, officials added.

According to official data, over 50,200 potholes have been repaired this year, compared to 36,629 last year.

Meanwhile, out of Delhi's 10,500-km road network, 2,180 km have been identified for redevelopment, while 469 km of roads under the MCD and PWD have already been recarpeted and strengthened. A policy decision has also been taken to ensure end-to-end pavement construction on all roads.

On Monday, the city's air quality worsened, slipping into the 'severe' category with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 401 at 4 pm, compared to 390 recorded a day earlier, in the 'very poor' range.

According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) standards, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'.