Why air pollution in summer is a concern too + an update on coal mine expansions

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Editor's note: Air pollution in northern India is a famously seasonal affair. I’m speaking not of the actual pollution, but of the public discourse around it. In mid-October, the onset of winter coincides with the burning of paddy stubble in Punjab, Haryana and other states. Pollution sees a further spike during Diwali. These spikes provide an impetus to the government to frame new laws, the courts to pass directions in age-old air pollution cases, and media outlets to cover the story full-time. But by the end of December, the holiday cheer sets in and everybody forgets about air quality until the next October. But there’s a good reason why this should not be the case. While air quality is indeed terrible in October-November, it is not exactly safe in the summer either. On Monday (16 May), the average daily reading of PM10 (coarse particulate matter smaller than 10 microns but larger than the PM2.5 particles) was a shocking 438 micrograms per cubic metre in South Delhi’s R.K. Puram locality, compared with the national air quality standard of 100 μg/m3 and the World …