Abstract
Delhi megacity’s high level of air pollution is a grave concern and calls for stringent and result-oriented efforts toward its reduction to meet the specified standards. It is necessary to understand the effectiveness of control actions implemented in the past and their response to air quality. The present study attempts to compile the information on the implemented control strategies in the city and evaluate their response in terms of pollution reduction during the years 2003–2019. The pollutant concentrations data are analysed monthly and annually at selected three representative stations being operated for more than two decades. The Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) showed an increasing trend from 2003 to 2019, with an annual average increment in the range of 0.98–3.19%. The increment percentage was found more at Industrial sites compared to residential and commercial sites. The SO2 showed a decreasing trend with an annual reduction in the range of 1.49–4.09%. However, NO2 increased with an annual average of 5.21–6.07%. The reduction observed in the increasing trend of NO2 and RSPM in recent years after 2015 compared to previous years might be due to various source-specific, short-term and long-term control actions within the city and surrounding regions. The present analysis showed the impact of policy interventions on the air quality of Delhi city. However, there is a need to develop a systematic mechanism to monitor/assess the improvement in air quality (pollutant wise) due to implemented control strategies.
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The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Gulia, S., Goyal, P., Prakash, M. et al. Policy Interventions and Their Impact on Air Quality in Delhi City — an Analysis of 17 Years of Data. Water Air Soil Pollut 232, 465 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-021-05402-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-021-05402-x