Delhi is a densely populated city in Northern India, home to the country’s capital of New Delhi. With a population of over 11 million, Delhi is a highly developed and wealthy city and accounts for much of the economy of India. Along with its economy, which revolves around information technology, telecommunications, banking, and tourism, the city has grappled with increasingly hot air temperatures and intense air pollution.
This article will cover these areas of environmental pollution in the city of Delhi:
Air Pollution in Delhi
Delhi is known for begin a city with incredibly poor air quality. In fact, in 2014, the World Health Organization named it the most polluted city in the world.
Since 2014, government and health officials have taken steps to manage air pollution levels. However, Delhi still struggles with intense air pollution. IQAir–an organization dedicated to monitoring air quality in thousands of cities globally–found that in 2020 Delhi ranked at 10 of 4,744 cities. So, only 9 cities evaluated had worse air quality than Delhi.
Delhi received this poor ranking because IQ Air found Delhi’s 2020 average concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) to be 84.1 ug/m3. Meaning Delhi’s average air quality throughout 2020 was almost seventeen times the standard concentration set by the World Health Organization of 5 μg/m3. However, this is an average, Delhi regularly has days with PM2.5 concentrations of over 100 μg/m3. On these days, being outside is unhealthy for all residents.
The main causes of air pollution in Delhi include:
- Vehicular emissions
- Industrial emissions
- Agricultural crop burning
The issues above are magnified by Delhi’s particular topographical disadvantage. Wind direction and altitude shifts cause pollution in the surrounding area to accumulate and set over the city of Delhi. Pollution is particularly poor in winter months as the air temperature drops and pollutants drop in elevation and are even less likely to escape the city.
Water Pollution in Delhi
Being a densely populated and industrialized city, Delhi struggles with water pollution almost as much as it does air pollution. The main causes of surface and drinking water pollution in the city are:
- Industrial runoff
- Untreated residential wastewater
- Garbage dumping into surface water
Now we’ll discuss how these pollution factors influence surface water pollution and access to safe drinking water.
Surface Water
The main surface water present in Delhi is the Yamuna river, which is fed by glacial Himalayan water and passes through the center of the metropolitan area before flowing south to the Agra Canal and then into Uttar Pradesh. The city of Delhi causes disastrous pollution to the country’s dirtiest river. While only 2% of the river flows through Delhi, the city contributes to 76% of the Yumuna’s total pollution.
The pollution, mostly due to agricultural runoff and residential sewage dumping, has essentially killed all life within the highly toxic river. The central pollution board of Delhi found in 2011 that the Yamuna had a concentration of 1.1 billion fecal coliform bacteria per 100 mL of water due to sewage dumping. The WHO’s standard for bathing water is just 500 coliform bacteria per 100mL.
Drinking Water
Despite the Yamuna’s intense pollution, one-third of the city’s drinking water comes from a reservoir on the north end of the river before it becomes toxic. Although 83% of households have access to tap water, poor wastewater treatment and water management mean that water coming from the tap is unsafe to drink.
Land Pollution in Delhi
The main cause of land pollution in Delhi is garbage. Waste from residential areas often piles up in slums or ends up in the river. Land pollution that does make it to the landfill has been known to spew toxic gases which further worsen Delhi’s air quality.
Key Takeaways
- Air Pollution: Air pollution in India’s capital is exceptionally bad. Vehicular and industrial emissions combined with topography that traps pollution make Delhi one of the most polluted cities in the world.
- Water Pollution: The Yamuna river is heavily polluted by garbage and human waste, creating a toxic environment in which no life can exist. Tap water is not safe to drink.
Land Pollution: The city generates large amounts of trash that end up in streets, the Yamuna river, or pile up in landfills which can increase air pollution.