📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
National
CAQM urges vehicle inspections and curbs on stubble burning to tackle Delhi’s winter smog
✍️ Business Standard
🗓 01 Oct 2026, 07:32 PM
👁 14
The Central Air Quality Monitoring body has asked authorities to intensify vehicle checks and halt stubble burning as Delhi battles severe winter pollution.
The Central Air Quality Monitoring (CAQM) agency has issued an advisory urging immediate action to curb Delhi's winter air pollution. In its statement, CAQM highlighted the need for rigorous checks on all motor vehicles operating in the National Capital Region, citing the contribution of vehicular emissions to rising particulate matter levels.
The agency also called for a coordinated effort to stop stubble burning in neighboring states, which it identified as a major source of haze that drifts into Delhi during the colder months. Officials said that curbing open-field crop residue burning could significantly lower the concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 pollutants.
Delhi's air quality index (AQI) regularly breaches hazardous thresholds in December and January, prompting health warnings from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. CAQM's appeal comes ahead of the peak pollution period, urging state governments and local bodies to enforce existing emission norms and to provide alternatives to farmers for residue management.
While the advisory does not carry legal enforcement power, CAQM indicated that it will monitor compliance and share data with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for possible policy action. The agency stressed that collective compliance from vehicle owners, transport operators, and agricultural stakeholders is essential to protect public health during the winter season.
The agency also called for a coordinated effort to stop stubble burning in neighboring states, which it identified as a major source of haze that drifts into Delhi during the colder months. Officials said that curbing open-field crop residue burning could significantly lower the concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 pollutants.
Delhi's air quality index (AQI) regularly breaches hazardous thresholds in December and January, prompting health warnings from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. CAQM's appeal comes ahead of the peak pollution period, urging state governments and local bodies to enforce existing emission norms and to provide alternatives to farmers for residue management.
While the advisory does not carry legal enforcement power, CAQM indicated that it will monitor compliance and share data with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for possible policy action. The agency stressed that collective compliance from vehicle owners, transport operators, and agricultural stakeholders is essential to protect public health during the winter season.