What Is Polluting Delhi’s Air? A Review from 1990 to 2022

Sarath K. Guttikunda (), Sai Krishna Dammalapati, Gautam Pradhan, Bhargav Krishna, Hiren T. Jethva and Puja Jawahar
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Sarath K. Guttikunda: Transportation Research and Injury Prevention (TRIP) Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi 110016, India
Sai Krishna Dammalapati: Urban Emissions, New Delhi 110019, India
Gautam Pradhan: Earthmetry, Bengaluru 560037, India
Bhargav Krishna: Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi 110021, India
Hiren T. Jethva: GESTAR-II, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Morgan State University, Greenbelt, MD 21251, USA
Puja Jawahar: Urban Emissions, New Delhi 110019, India

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 5, 1-37

Abstract: Delhi’s annual average PM 2.5 concentration in 2021–22 was 100 μg/m 3 —20 times more than the WHO guideline of 5 μg/m 3 . This is an improvement compared to the limited information available for the pre-CNG-conversion era (~30%), immediately before and after 2010 CWG (~28%), and the mid-2010s (~20%). These changes are a result of continuous technical and economic interventions interlaced with judicial engagement in various sectors. Still, Delhi is ranked the most polluted capital city in the world. Delhi’s air quality is a major social and political concern in India, often with questions regarding its severity and primary sources, and despite several studies on the topic, there is limited consensus on source contributions. This paper offers insight by reviewing the influence of Delhi’s urban growth since 1990 on pollution levels and sources and the evolution of technical, institutional, and legal measures to control emissions in the National Capital Region of Delhi.

Keywords: air quality monitoring; PM 2.5; Delhi; India; source apportionment; sectoral history; long-term trends (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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