Each winter, Delhi grapples with an air-pollution crisis. The debate that follows has become a ritual—who is to blame, what should be banned, and which miracle formula will rescue us. Yet the real obstacle to clean air is not technology or governance—it is the thick layer of myths we continue to breathe in.

We like to believe that Delhi’s problem is unique, that no other city faces what we face. In truth, London once drowned in soot; Los Angeles and Beijing lived through decades of smog. They emerged cleaner not through miracles but through discipline—steady investment in transport, fuel quality, and urban management. Delhi’s challenge is serious, not exceptional.

Another myth is that there exists some undiscovered fix that will make the city’s air suddenly breathable. Like artificially inducing rains through cloud seeding. It is experimental and can work only when moisture-laden clouds exist: cloud seeding can wash pollution temporarily but cannot create rain from a dry sky. We do not control the clouds, but we can manage the more mundane aspects. Indeed, cleaner air comes from thousands of small, consistent acts—watering roads, greening open soil, maintaining vehicles, enforcing construction norms, managing airshed, and respecting rules even when no one is watching. It is not glamourous work, so we keep looking for miracles.

We also tell ourselves that nothing has been done. That is false. From the Graded Response Action Plan to the switch to BS-VI fuels, from power-plant controls to closure of older........

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