Editorial 2: Rearguard action

Context

India requires year-round, sustained action to address the growing fallout of changing weather patterns.

Introduction

India’s fog season marks the return of an annual air pollution crisis, exposing deep-rooted failures in urban air quality management. As particulate matter spikes after the monsoon, AQI levels plunge into severe categories, disrupting transport, endangering lives, and amplifying public anxiety. Fog merely reveals a reality of chronic, year-round pollution.

Fog Season and Pollution Spike

• Annual fog cycle has begun, triggering disruption, accidents and chaos in northern India
• Post-monsoon particulate matter surge exposes year-round unmitigated pollution
• Severe air pollution now affects Delhi, NCR, Indo-Gangetic plains, and expanding to Mumbai, Kolkata, urban clusters
• Fog formation (low temperature + moisture) coincides with sharp AQI deterioration

Air Quality Crisis and Public Impact

• AQI already at 300–400 (very poor) frequently escalates to ‘severe’ and ‘severe+’ (400+)
• Public panic intensified among citizens already exposed to chronic toxic air
• Fog does not raise toxicity, but reduces visibility, compounding risks
• Health, mobility and daily life severely affected during peak fog episodes

Accidents and Transport Disruptions

• At least 25 deaths and 59 injuries reported in fog-related road accidents in Uttar Pradesh
• Yamuna Expressway tragedy: multi-vehicle pile-up in Mathura led to a deadly inferno
• Aviation chaos in Delhi: 228 flights cancelled (131 departures, 97 arrivals)
• Hundreds of delays, paralysing air travel and passenger movement

Policy Response and Governance Gaps

• GRAP-4 emergency restrictions imposed:
  • Ban on construction and demolition
  • Schools shifted online
  • Vehicle movement restrictions
• Symbolic enforcement threats: fuel denial without PUC, BS-6 vehicle entry curbs
• Measures ignore residual emissions trapped by moisture, the core driver of AQI collapse
• Central meetings lack impact, repeating unimplemented advisories
• Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) must assert independence and ensure year-round action to keep AQI below 350, irrespective of weather conditions

Conclusion

The recurring fog–pollution emergency underscores the need for systemic, year-round action, not reactive bans and symbolic threats. Visibility-related accidents, flight disruptions, and health risks demand stronger institutional accountability. An empowered Commission for Air Quality Management must act independently to curb residual emissions and ensure sustained AQI control, regardless of seasonal weather patterns.