Seasonal air-pollution episodes in north India need a multi-sectoral, inter-State response. Discuss.

Every October–November, north India's plains turn into a smog chamber. Farm fires, festive firecrackers, vehicles, industry and dust build up under the low winter inversion layer. These sources cut across sectors and State borders, so no single ministry or State can solve the problem alone. The Supreme Court's November 2026 green-cracker order for Delhi-NCR is a recent example [1].

Why a multi-sectoral response is needed

• Agriculture: paddy-stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana needs crop diversification, in-situ residue machinery and markets for straw.
• Culture and festivals: the Supreme Court called cracker-bursting a "religious practice". It still restricted it to certified green crackers in two daily slots, citing harm from air pollution, noise and solid waste [1].
• Science and technology: CSIR-NEERI designed green crackers to cut particulate emissions by about 30%. The definition was set jointly with PESO, CPCB and MoEFCC, which is itself a cross-ministry effort [2]. A National Centre of Excellence at NEERI Nagpur now handles testing and certification [4].
• Public health: the order sets 300-metre no-cracker zones around hospitals, old-age homes and schools. Its stated aim is to protect children, disabled people and the elderly [1].
• Transport, industry and construction: cleaner fuels, public transport and dust control are needed to lower the baseline before the peak season begins.

Why an inter-State response is needed

• Airsheds ignore borders: smoke from farm fires in Punjab and Haryana drifts into Delhi, and the NCR spans four States.
• Institutional response: the CAQM Act, 2021 created a commission covering the NCR and adjoining areas of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and UP. It dissolved EPCA, and its directions prevail over State governments and pollution boards [3].
• Enforcement gaps: cracker-free zones must be "marked on the ground and published" by several NCR administrations [1]. Weak compliance in one State undoes the gains made in another.

Way forward

• Airshed-based planning under CAQM, with shared real-time monitoring data across States.
• Point-of-sale checks of green-cracker certification [2], backed by independent emission testing [4].
• Farmer incentives and supply chains that buy crop residue.
• Public awareness campaigns to encourage festivals with fewer firecrackers.

Seasonal smog is a cumulative problem that crosses borders, so the response must combine sectors and States. A CAQM-led, data-driven model of cooperative federalism can protect the right to clean air under Article 21. It would also meet the State's duty under Article 48A and advance SDG 3 and SDG 11.