Pollution is one of the major issues causing concern not only in India but across the world. The technological advancement and speedy development since India’s Independence has come at a great environmental cost. According to the global Environment Performance Index (EPI) 2018, India is ranked at 177 with an EPI of 30.57, and it is disheartening to hear that Delhi, the national capital of the country, is being tagged as one of the most heavily polluted capital cities in the world. It is the world’s worst city in terms of air pollution, with an unhealthy air quality index for the majority of the year. Thus, today, one of the biggest threats to the welfare of the people of Delhi and the city as a whole is pollution of various types

The season of lights and happiness left the country capital with an atmosphere which did not allow the eyes to stare at those lights widely neither the heart healthy enough to rejoice the festive. The people of Delhi saw a hazy sunset the next day of Diwali and its people inhaled toxic gases instead of oxygen. According to the daily reports the air quality of Delhi measured 999 while the normal index is 150.

There has been a huge rise in the vehicular population, in spite of the metro railways, aggravating traffic congestion and increasing air and noise pollution. It has also been reported that the number of vehicles plying on the roads of Delhi is more than that of the three metropolitan cities of Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai taken together and there has also been an ever-increasing number of diesel vehicles plying on the roads, which are largely responsible for the air pollution.

It has been reported by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) that everyday almost 8,000 m tonnes of solid waste is being generated in Delhi. Plus we also have the industrial hazardous and non-hazardous waste. On an average, everyday, the MCDs and the NDMC manage to clear about 5,000-5,500 m tonnes of garbage. This results in the accumulation of more and more garbage in the city.