It’s a story that is repeated year after year with no solution; Without coordinated, year-round action on emissions, waste, and stubble burning, Delhi’s toxic air is likely to return unchanged next winter
The city’s air has turned toxic, forcing schools to shut, flights to divert, and citizens to mask up against a sky the colour of dust. But as millions struggle to breathe, political parties are busy pointing fingers instead of finding solutions. The ruling BJP and opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and Congress are locked in a noisy blame game over Delhi’s worsening pollution, each accusing the other of negligence while the air thickens with smog — and frustration.
As Delhi struggles once again under a thick, toxic haze this October, the city’s pollution crisis has turned into a fierce political contest. The BJP insists that conditions are improving under its “Clean Air Mission,” aimed at cutting PM2.5 and PM10 levels by half by 2030. BJP leaders claimed that Delhi could become “breathable” within the next two years if ongoing initiatives—like green crackers, the push for electric vehicles, and cloud seeding—continue as planned. The party blames AAP governments in Punjab and earlier in Delhi for mismanaging stubble burning and failing to take practical steps to curb pollution.
But the much-hyped cloud-seeding operation aimed at inducing rain to wash away pollutants carried out by IIT Kanpur has failed to deliver. Scientists called off the seeding after discovering that cloud moisture levels were just 15–20%, far below the 50% needed for effective rainfall. The government said the process was postponed due to “unfavourable meteorological conditions,” but critics called it yet another failed showpiece. Experts have warned that cloud seeding cannot replace long-term measures to curb emissions from vehicles, industries, and crop burning.
AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal, attacking the BJP-led government, dismissed the trial as “a gimmick to grab headlines.” “All the engines of this government have failed,” he said, arguing that the experiment was more about optics than outcomes. The AAP has accused the BJP of manipulating air-quality data by shutting down pollution monitors on Diwali night, even as air quality plunged to “severe.”
The Congress has joined the chorus, accusing both BJP and AAP of treating pollution as an annual talking point. “The air is grey, the lungs are black, and the BJP’s accountability is invisible,” said senior leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, calling it “a public health emergency born of political apathy.”
Beyond the political crossfire, the story on the ground remains unchanged. Stubble burning continues unchecked, vehicular fumes fill the highways, and citizens suffer the consequences. As smog thickens and politics deepens, the authorities may impose extra emergency measures—vehicle curbs, construction bans, and school closures—under the Graded Response Action Plan. Cloud seeding could be retried if weather conditions improve, though scientists remain skeptical of its impact. Meanwhile, political blame-trading between the BJP, AAP, and Congress will intensify but for citizens, relief seems distant.
