Air Quality Management in Delhi: Then, Now, & Next

This paper was presented at the BioVision conference, in March, 2009.

This paper covers the past and current air quality management experiences in Delhi (India), including observed pollution levels, sources of air pollution, and policy interventions. It briefly discusses the interventions that worked in the past, such as mass conversion of buses, taxis, and 3-wheelers, from diesel to CNG, which resulted in the largest gains ever in the history of pollution in Delhi, the latest interventions like BRT, which experienced teething problems, though implemented for a short length along a major corridor.

With the Commonwealth Games in October, 2010, the city authorities have a lot to address in terms of air pollution, given the seasonality in the pollution, its sources, and its intensity. Transport sector, by default is dominating, followed by industrial, power, and garbage burning.

For more details, download SIM Working Paper Series No. 22

Relevant papers from the SIM Series

SIM-22-2009: AQM in Delhi: Then, Now, & Next
SIM-25-2009: Air Pollution Chemistry in Delhi, India
SIM-28-2009: Measuring Autorickshaw Emissions to Inform Air Quality Policy
SIM-29-2009: Monitoring & Mapping Urban Air Pollution: One Day in Delhi, India
SIM-31-2010: Role of Meteorology on Urban Air Pollution Dispersion: A 20yr Analysis for Delhi
SIM-32-2010: Estimated Air Pollution & Health Benefits of Metro System in Delhi, India
SIM-36-2011: Air Quality Forecasting System for Cities: Modeling Architecture for Delhi, India