Delhi environment minister admits it’s ‘impossible’ to fix pollution in months

Delhi environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Tuesday apologised to residents as hazardous air pollution continued to choke the national capital, admitting that it was “impossible for any elected government to reduce AQI in nine to ten months.” While expressing regret over the situation, Sirsa blamed the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for what he described as a long-standing and deeply rooted pollution crisis.

Addressing the media, Sirsa said the current administration had inherited a “disease of pollution” and was working on a daily basis to control emissions and improve air quality. “I apologise for the pollution in Delhi. We are doing better work than the dishonest AAP government, and we have reduced AQI each day,” he said, adding that the damage caused over years could not be reversed in such a short span.

According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi’s Air Quality Index stood at 354 around 4 pm on Tuesday, categorised as ‘very poor.’ This marked a marginal improvement from Monday’s AQI of 427, which fell in the ‘severe’ category.

Announcing stricter enforcement measures, Sirsa said that from Thursday onwards, vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate would not be allowed to refuel at petrol pumps in Delhi. Vehicle owners have been given one day to comply, after which fuel supply will be denied to non-compliant vehicles.

Sirsa claimed that Delhi’s air quality remained better for nearly eight months this year compared to the same period last year. While acknowledging a recent spike in pollution levels, he maintained that sustained efforts over the past 10 months had led to overall improvement.

Targeting AAP, the minister accused the party of attempting to divert attention by staging protests after “distorting Delhi” during its tenure. He questioned the effectiveness of pollution-control measures implemented by the previous government.

Highlighting ongoing initiatives, Sirsa said garbage mountains had been reduced by 15 metres and 45 acres of land had been reclaimed. He added that over 2,000 pollution-monitoring plants had been installed by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee. The government has also identified 13 pollution hotspots and is pushing cleaner mobility through plans to deploy 7,500 electric buses. A scientific committee has been formed to recommend long-term solutions to tackle Delhi’s air pollution crisis.