There has been much talk about air pollution in Delhi and its magnitude and effects on the health of the general population.
With air quality often reaching critical levels, residents there experience respiratory issues, reduced lung function, and eye damage, beside a host of other ailments.
With hazardous smog blanketing the city and causing significant, immediate harm, the capital city and its immediate neighbourhood is in the throes of a severe public health crisis.
Authorities in Delhi-NCR have implemented strict measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to ward off the threats arising from pollution in the region.
It is claimed that air quality is similar to the weather; it can change quickly, even within a matter of hours.
According to Kristina Pistone, a research scientist at NASA Ames Research Center: “Air quality influences health and quality of life. Just like we need to ingest water, we need to breathe air. We have come to expect clean water because we understand that we need it to live and be healthy, and we should expect the same from our air.”
With Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) hovering between 300 and 400, more than 20 times the limit recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), the capital city is definitely staring at an air quality emergency!
As one of the world’s most polluted cities, Delhi has consistently fallen into the ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ categories due to vehicular emissions, industrial pollutants, road dust, winter stubble burning, and landlocked geography.
In comparison, Goa boasts of relatively clean air aided by coastal breezes and lower population density.
However, reports suggest that the tiny coastal state of Goa continues its existence in a mirage of a pristine coastal air little realising that it is already experiencing a significant and largely overlooked decline in air quality.
With rising particulate matter levels turning Goa’s air from clean to unhealthy, the environmental decline could well be classified as a silent crisis.
The intense construction dust from the incessant cycle of developmental and infrastructure projects, coal transportation, increased vehicular traffic and from industrial waste, have been key factors leading to the decline in air quality in the state.
The other day, while sitting in the lobby of a renowned hospital in Margao, waiting for my relative to complete a couple of diagnostic tests related to her ailment, my nostrils were assailed by the obnoxious smell of some material being burnt in the railway station premises.
The pungent odour brought tears to my eyes and I felt suffocated. I wonder how much distress it would have caused patients in the hospital!
I later learnt that the burning of waste and materials is a recurring issue in and around the Margao railway station premises, often creating thick smoke and a toxic odour.
The proliferation of scrapyards around the countryside too has had a role to play in the deteriorating air quality scenario in the state.
The unchecked burning of industrial wastes and used oil is a significant, often illegal, practice that causes severe, long-term damage to the environment and health. It is all a common practice to have copper wires burnt to remove the insulation.
Burning of tyres by migrant labourers to keep away mosquitoes in the night is another repugnant practice.
All such activities release harmful toxins and pollutants into the atmosphere.
Village panchayats are explicitly mandated to monitor and prevent the open burning of waste including materials like oils, wires, and plastics under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. Yet, the continued unchecked burning of these materials indicates a failure in enforcement by the local authorities.
Considering the rapid automobile boom in the state, the Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate has become a vital, legally mandated document for all vehicle owners.
The certificate confirms that the vehicle meets the required emission norms, and must be renewed regularly to avoid penalties under pollution control laws.
While the initiative has been highly effective in increasing the number of registered PUCs, its effectiveness in actually reducing emissions is highly debated, particularly when public transport buses are seen violating norms.
Authorities in Goa are facing severe criticism and public outcry regarding their perceived inability to control accelerating environmental degradation, with critics citing a mix of corruption, negligence, and structural incompetence.
The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has faced intense, sustained criticism regarding its effectiveness in monitoring and controlling pollution with recent incidents highlighting serious regulatory lapses despite possessing relevant data.
Concerns over the effectiveness of environmental regulation in Goa suggest that statutory bodies like GSPCB often struggle to balance industrial development with ecological protection, leading to criticisms that some processes function more as compliance rubber-stamps than as deterrents to pollution.
According to news reports, as of early 2026, Goa is experiencing an unusual increase in hazy, smog-like conditions, marking a significant departure from its traditionally clean coastal air.
Whether it is rapid urbanisation, vehicle emissions, construction, or weather conditions that are straining the environment, there is no denying the fact that the state is definitely experiencing high Air Quality Index levels.
Is Goa heading toward a ‘Delhi-like’ pollution crisis!
(Pachu Menon is a senior
columnist and author based in Goa.)
