The air pollution crisis in Delhi and its surrounding areas is only worsening.
The Air Quality Index has been skyrocketing -- as it always does during winters. The health crisis was obvious to the officials in the China embassy too, prompting them to offer help.
"China once struggled with severe smog, too. We stand ready to share our journey toward blue ones—and believe India will get there soon," the embassy's spokesperson wrote on social media.
The air in Beijing was as polluted as Delhi, if not more. Delhi's AQI last year was 155. China was at 144, but all the way back in 2015. Now, the air in Asia's largest industrial powerhouse is much cleaner.
IQAir said Beijing was the third most-polluted major city on Earth in 2023. It was just ahead of Bangladesh's capital Dhaka. Many of Beijing's 22 million residents donned face masks regularly as they snaked through streets shrouded in a grey haze.
The bad air in Beijing was mostly man-made: highly-polluting heavy industry, the common use of coal burning for electricity and vehicle emissions. The city also had high humidity and unseasonably hot temperatures -- making dispersion of pollution very difficult.
China's solution to pollution
So, what changed? Well, in short China declared a war against pollution.
Beijing rolled out a 20-year anti-pollution programme in 2015. It retrofitted cars with diesel particulate filters, tightened environmental requirements, upgraded travel infrastructure and completely eliminated civil bulk coal consumption.
But here is the game changer. The final phase of China's plan prioritised regional cooperation. Five adjoining provinces around Beijing came together to align policies. They reduced ambient pollution by increasing surveillance and introducing harsh punishments for any rule violators -- individuals or industries.
And perhaps that regional unity is what is missing in India.
Remember, Delhi's toxic haze is seasonal. Vehicular emissions and construction dust get trapped due to low temperatures and fog as winter sets in. And unlike Beijing, open burning of agricultural residue in neighbouring states and firecrackers lit during the festive season aggravate Delhi's crisis.
But, the anti-pollution drive is hindered by a political blame game between the Centre, Delhi administration and neighbouring governments.
