India’s Capital Sets Plan to Clean Dirty Air Ahead of Winter

(Bloomberg) -- India’s capital Delhi announced a string of measures to cut smog and dust to clean up some of the world’s dirtiest air ahead of the winter season.

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The city state is working to eliminate the burning of farm stubble -- one of the biggest contributors to air pollution -- across 5,000 acres of farmland surrounding it, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said in a statement posted on YouTube on Friday.

The plans, which are an annual occurrence, include setting up anti-smog guns, water sprinklers and road sweeping machines to reduce dust and include mandatory monitoring of all construction sites larger than 500 square meters (597.99 square yards), Kejriwal said.

The government had already announced a ban on firecrackers earlier this month.

The announcement comes ahead of the winter season when air quality in India’s capital and most of the northern region routinely deteriorates drastically. During the worst stretches, the region’s air pollution can reach multiple times the global safety threshold.

The announcement comes ahead of India’s G-20 presidency starting Dec. 1, which is expected to bring in large numbers of foreign government officials to the capital city.

Despite some attempts by the federal and state governments, millions struggle to breathe through the worst months of polluted and smoggy air each year. Across northern India, the bad air shaves off 8 1/2 years from the lives of about 480 million people, a recent study showed.

The federal government has put in place a National Clean Air Program to cut particulate pollution in Delhi by as much as 30% by 2024 from 2017 levels. In addition, Delhi last month announced a plan to spend $600 million over three years to electrify most of its public transport to improve air quality.

On Friday, Kejriwal appealed to Delhi’s neighboring states to also restrict the use of diesel generators and polluting feedstock in industries.

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