Delhi-NCR Steps Up Winter Pollution Measures As Stubble Burning Declines

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has reported a decline in paddy stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana during the ongoing harvesting season, alongside progress in road redevelopment, vehicle replacement and industrial pollution control, as Delhi-NCR prepares for the winter pollution season.

According to a fact sheet released on the management of air pollution in Delhi-NCR, Punjab recorded 1,514 farm fire incidents between September 15 and November 1, 2026, compared with 2,084 during the corresponding period in 2025, a decline of 38%. Haryana reported 42 incidents against 118 last year, registering a decline of 64%.

The Commission said burnt area had also declined during the period. Between September 15 and October 28, the burnt area accounted for 7.92% of the rice-growing area in Punjab and 6.99% in Haryana. The corresponding figures in 2025 were 14.6% and 16.8%, respectively.

For the ongoing paddy harvesting season, from September 15 to November 30, Punjab is estimated to generate 18.80 million tonnes of paddy straw, followed by Haryana at 7.97 million tonnes and the NCR districts of Uttar Pradesh at 0.85 million tonnes.

The CAQM said 34 hotspot districts had been identified, with flying squads and drones deployed to monitor and prevent stubble burning. It added that the utilisation of paddy straw outside farms had doubled since 2023, reaching 7.89 million tonnes in Punjab and 2.71 million tonnes in Haryana. The straw is being used in industrial boilers, biomass power plants, thermal power plants, compressed biogas plants and brick kilns.

Road Dust, Vehicular Pollution Remain Areas Of Concern

On road dust management, the CAQM said 2,700 km of the 5,480 km of identified roads across NCR had been redeveloped, accounting for around 49% of the total. Of the 380 mechanical road sweeping machines required, 251 have been deployed, leaving a shortfall of 129.

The Commission has directed states to complete pending road redevelopment work, repair potholes, footpaths and central verges, and conduct AI-based videographic surveys of roads. A Road Asset Management System is also being implemented through an agreement signed in June 2026 between the states, CSIR-CRRI and the School of Planning and Architecture.

Under the PARIVARTAN scheme, pre-BS-VI trucks and buses in Delhi-NCR are to be replaced with BS-VI, CNG or electric vehicles by July 2028. The scheme targets around 1.91 lakh trucks and 16,300 buses, excluding CNG buses, that comply with BS-IV or older emission norms.

As of October 27, 28,929 trucks had been registered under the scheme, while 2,935 had been replaced. For buses, 10,434 had been registered and 613 replaced.

The CAQM fact sheet also reported that 1,44,567 old vehicles had been scrapped across NCR in 2026, with Uttar Pradesh accounting for 82,829 and Delhi for 58,369. A total of 23,517 no-objection certificates (NOCs) had also been issued.

The Commission issued directions for implementing the 'No PUCC, No Fuel' system on May 15, 2026. Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems are being installed at fuel stations and integrated with the VAHAN and Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) databases.

As per Supreme Court orders, BS-III and older petrol and diesel vehicles are not permitted to ply in Delhi-NCR. BS-IV and older trucks and buses have also been barred from entering Delhi from November 1, 2026.

Industrial Pollution Control And Waste Management

On industrial emissions, the fact sheet said 2,296 of the 2,345 units identified for online continuous emission monitoring systems (OCEMS) had been connected to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) servers. The remaining 48 units in Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh are yet to be connected, while one unit in Haryana is under closure.

The CPCB has also directed pollution control boards in NCR to issue closure show-cause notices to industries that have not placed work orders for pollution control devices required to meet the particulate matter emission limit of 50 mg/Nm³, effective October 1, 2026. Units failing to comply within five days are liable to closure, electricity disconnection and sealing.

Of the 2,296 industries identified for the installation of air pollution control devices (APCDs), 845 have submitted adequacy certificates, while 409 have received exemption certificates as they operate on PNG or electricity. The remaining 1,042 industries are required to install the devices to meet the revised emission norms.

Meanwhile, around 18,533 tonnes per day (TPD) of municipal solid waste is generated across NCR, of which 11,786 TPD is processed. This leaves a processing gap of 6,747 TPD, while capacity augmentation of 13,144 TPD is underway.

Delhi's three major legacy waste dumpsites also remain a concern. At Okhla, 17.73 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of waste has been cleared against a target of 26.38 LMT. At Bhalswa, 25.33 LMT has been cleared against 47.97 LMT, while Ghazipur has recorded the removal of 13.63 LMT against 44.61 LMT. Complete clearance of legacy waste at the three sites is targeted by December 2028.

Construction Restrictions And Winter Preparedness

The CAQM has also directed restrictions on dust-generating construction and demolition activities across NCR from November 5 to November 20, 2026. The restrictions cover highways and other linear infrastructure projects, with exemptions for essential projects involving railways, metro services, airports, hospitals, water supply, sanitation, defence and other projects of national importance.

Government and private offices in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar have been directed to operate with up to 50% physical attendance, with the remaining employees working from home.

Separately, Delhi's winter pollution control directions, notified on June 23, provide for restrictions on dust-generating construction activities, staggered office timings, increased parking charges and limits on the entry of non-BS-VI commercial vehicles from outside Delhi between November 1 and January 31. A complete ban on construction and demolition activities is scheduled from December 10 to January 20.

The CAQM has also revised the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), issuing the updated framework on September 29. The revised plan provides for the advance implementation of pollution-control measures based on air quality forecasts rather than waiting for the Air Quality Index (AQI) to cross the prescribed thresholds.

GRAP is divided into four stages: Stage I for poor air quality (AQI 201–300), Stage II for very poor air quality (301–400), Stage III for severe air quality (401–450) and Stage IV for severe-plus conditions (above 450). The Commission said measures would be invoked in advance based on daily air quality models and meteorological forecasts provided by the India Meteorological Department and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology.

On air quality monitoring, 116 continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations are operational across NCR against the 157 required under CAQM guidelines. Delhi accounts for 60 of these stations, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 27, Haryana with 22 and Rajasthan with seven.

The Commission's fact sheet also reported that Delhi recorded 220 good air quality days up to November 2, 2026, compared with 200 during the corresponding period in 2025. The number of bad air quality days declined from 106 to 86 over the same period.