Nature-Based Solutions Key to Tackling Delhi’s Persistent Air Pollution Crisis
Delhi’s smog crisis remains severe despite repeated short-term fixes. The article advocates for nature-based solutions (NBS) such as green roofs, urban forests, and rain gardens, which can sustainably reduce pollution, manage heat, and improve biodiversity. While pilot projects and green spaces exist, comprehensive policy support, integration in urban planning, and community involvement are crucial for lasting impact.
Delhi’s annual winter air pollution peaks to hazardous levels due to vehicular emissions, construction dust, and stubble burning, causing severe health and economic damages with few effective long-term solutions. The article criticizes the current reliance on short-term measures like odd-even traffic rules or cloud seeding, highlighting their limited success. Instead, it promotes nature-based solutions (NBS) that restore the ecological balance by absorbing pollutants, reducing heat, and enhancing biodiversity—examples include Singapore’s green corridors and Paris’s blue-green roofs. Delhi’s initiatives like the Great Green Wall of Aravalli, green installations in parks, and urban forests demonstrate potential but face challenges such as bureaucratic inertia and poor maintenance. For NBS to succeed, policies must incentivize green infrastructure integration through tax rebates, zoning bonuses, and fast-track approvals, alongside partnerships among government, NGOs, and citizens. The article urges embedding NBS into Delhi’s urban planning and governance frameworks, using technology like GIS to identify pollution hotspots and financing mechanisms such as green bonds, thereby ensuring sustainable and equitable air quality improvement. Ultimately, adopting these solutions can offer Delhi resilience against pollution, climate change, and urban heat, reclaiming residents’ right to clean air.
