What Delhi Can Learn From Beijing Amid Severe Air Crisis As China Shares Step-By-Step Guide For Tackling Pollution

Delhi has been living under intense air pollution, with the air quality index spiking up to dangerous levels on a constant basis. The Delhi government has enforced strict measures under GRAP to tackle the air crisis, from enforcing a ban on the burning of traditional firewood tandoors to imposing a fine on burning anything that contributes to air pollution. 

Beijing has publicly announced its interest in helping tackle Delhi’s air crisis. Beijing, once called the “smog capital of the world,” has drastically improved its air quality and now offers help to Delhi to do the same. Chinese embassy spokesperson Yu Jing, in a tweet on X, shared a step-by-step guide based on China’s own experience. The Chinese embassy in India described the air crisis as a shared struggle between the two countries. 

The post showed Beijing’s Air Quality Index was around 68, which is considered satisfactory, while New Delhi’s stood at a severe rating of 447. 

Air crisis is a complex thing

Yu Jing said that the sustained efforts of China over the past decade helped it achieve a significant improvement in air quality but at the same time pointed out the fact that tackling air pollution in Delhi is a complex challenge due to the city’s rapid urbanisation and immense traffic. 

She posted on X that the embassy will roll out a bite-sized social media series that will explain the steps China took to address its air crisis, which could be a possible strategy that Delhi can employ.

The posts on X come at a time when the Delhi government has launched the strictest measures in Delhi-NCR to somehow bring down the dangerous air pollution levels. They have implemented a ban on construction and demolition, restrictions on high-emission vehicles, and other things. 

How did China achieve what Delhi finds impossible 

China’s success in tackling the air crisis took a long-term effort to reduce pollutants like PM2.5, which is the fine particulate matter deemed most harmful to health. In 2013, they launched an initiative called the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan, which included industrial reforms, enforced stricter emissions standards, and took a shift away from coal. 

Beijing reduced the coal use from about 21.8 million tonnes in 2012 to under one million tonnes in the coming years. They also implemented a ban on older vehicles, which contributed highly to air pollution, and coordinated with the neighboring regions to do the same, which ensured a broader impact. 
The Chinese embassy also noted in the tweet that they shut down or moved over 3000 heavy industries, which further said that “relocating Shougang, one of China’s largest steelmakers, alone cut inhalable particles by 20%.”

It is important to note that Delhi faces some clear challenges in governance, and coordination with other states on issues of crop burning is difficult; also, China dedicated vast amounts of funds and resources to its air crisis, while it seems difficult for Delhi to do so.

Also Read: No More Tandoori Roti In Delhi? Tandoor Banned In All Restaurants Amid Rising Pollution, Check Fine, Rules And What Happens Tandoori Food Now