In form of Bharatiya Janata Party in government Delhi As she completes her first year in office on Friday, a look at the five key areas that most impact daily life in the capital – pollution, transport, water supply, education and health – reveals visible progress in many areas alongside persistent structural gaps that continue to shape the urban experience.
This year is known for accelerated implementation in welfare and transport, early phase of infrastructure expansion, better coordination with the Center and ongoing challenges in water supply, pollution control, education reforms and health care capacity.
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Pollution: Coordination improved, but crisis persists
air pollution This remains perhaps Delhi’s most widely felt and complex challenge. Officials said the political rapprochement between Delhi and neighboring BJP-ruled states – Haryana and Uttar Pradesh – has improved coordination on regional pollution control measures, including joint planning for buses, action against non-compliant vehicles and shared infrastructure solutions.
Transport electrification has emerged as a key pillar of pollution abatement efforts. Large-scale induction of electric buses and continued emphasis on clean mobility are part of a long-term strategy to reduce vehicle emissions, one of the city’s biggest pollution sources.
The government announced a 25-point air pollution action plan in June 2025, focusing on the deployment of more than 200 mechanized street cleaning workers, more than 140 anti-smog guns, water tankers and more than 70 ragpickers. An innovation challenge was launched to identify new technologies, timelines were set for leveling Delhi’s landfill sites and plans for an e-waste eco park were announced. However, three cloud seeding trials failed to produce rain.
Strict restrictions were imposed on vehicles without valid pollution control certificates, with older vehicles being barred from entering the capital whenever Phase-4 of the Graded Response Action Plan is implemented. Sure enough, the government has approached the Supreme Court twice – first seeking a fresh assessment of the so-called “end of life” vehicle rules, arguing that they unfairly impact owners of well-maintained vehicles, and second seeking to overturn the ban on bursting firecrackers.
The government has also faced allegations from the opposition of “tampering” with air quality data and manipulating it by sprinkling water near monitors.
Environment MinisterR Manjinder Singh Sirsa On Thursday defended the government’s record. “The outgoing government (AAP) will never accept the work being done by its successor. It can accept that the sun rises from the west but not the fact that the government is doing good work,” he said. He said the government had earlier admitted that ten years’ worth of pollution could not be rectified in eight months. The strategy focuses on four major pollution sources: vehicles, industry, solid waste and dust.
Yamuna cleaning and sewage treatment projects undertaken during the year aim to address environmental degradation through better waste management. HT has reported It was reported on January 19 that 48,000 kg of defoamer chemical was used in the Yamuna over 63 days between October and December last year, ahead of Chhath Puja, to control foaming.
Despite these measures, seasonal air pollution events remain severe during winter, caused by stubble burning, local emissions, construction activity and meteorological conditions.
Sunil Dahiya, founder and principal analyst at EnviroCatalysts, said legacy pollution issues require sustained efforts. “We cannot change meteorological factors, so the only solution is to reduce the emission load from episodic and continuous sources. This is possible and can be done by governments in coordination with pollution control boards.”
Water: Schemes provide relief, shortcomings in distribution persist
Water management has emerged as a key area where policy announcements and inter-governmental coordination have translated into planned investments, even as supply reliability remains poor in many areas.
The Late Payment Surcharge Waiver Scheme provided relief to families burdened with long pending bills. There are around 29 lakh registered water consumers in Delhi, of which more than 15 lakh had outstanding dues. out of the total bill amount of ₹approximately 16,100 crores ₹While the principal amount was Rs 5,100 crore ₹Rs 11,000 crore collected as surcharge. Under the scheme, consumers pay only the basic amount, the surcharge is waived off as a one-time concession. Initially meant for domestic consumers, the scheme has been extended to commercial users.
Better financial coordination with the central government marked another development ₹₹1,368.88 crore in 2026-27 to strengthen Delhi’s water supply network.
‘We are making major infrastructure investments to improve water supply conditions. We are closing the leakage to resolve the supply gap of about 40%. It is also shocking for us that not all houses in the national capital have water pipeline connections, but these are big projects and will take time to implement,” the water minister said. Pravesh Verma.
A major proposal under discussion involves exchanging treated waste water from Delhi’s sewage treatment plants with neighboring states for fresh raw water. The treated water will be used for irrigation in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana in lieu of raw river water for potable use. Meaningful river revitalization and drinking water promotion projects ₹Rs 1,800 crore related to Yamuna cleaning program has been launched.
However, equitable distribution and pipeline losses remain persistent challenges. Parts of outer Delhi and unauthorized colonies depend on tanker supplies, especially during summer. Delhi’s water supply pipeline network extends over 15,400 km, of which 5,200 km is more than three decades old, while another 2,700 km is in the 20 to 30 year category. In the past year, residents of areas like Janakpuri and Yojana Vihar have approached courts over sewage-contaminated water.
Delhi, a water-scarce city, faces a demand-supply gap that worsens during summer, with 55% of non-revenue water being lost due to frequent bursts, leakages and unauthorized connections.
Bhim Singh Rawat, a water sector expert and member of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, said Delhi needs a new water policy to improve the sector. “A common water policy should be implemented with maximum use of treated water, large-scale emphasis on rainwater harvesting and focus on protection of wetlands.”
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Transport and roads: Visible expanses between major intervals
Transport has been one of the sectors where government actions have produced visible results, especially through infrastructure upgrades.
Nearly 3,000 new buses were added to Delhi’s fleet last year, while around 800 buses were added during the last two years of the previous administration. A proposal to purchase 3,330 more electric buses has been submitted under the Centre’s PM e-Drive scheme.
“The expansion aims to enhance last-mile connectivity, reduce dependence on private vehicles and reduce congestion on existing routes. With these additions, Delhi now has one of the largest electric bus fleets in the country,” the Chief Minister said. Rekha Gupta told HT last week.
However, the retirement of older vehicles has reduced the total bus network. The Delhi Transport Corporation’s fleet size is around 5,600 buses, although the city requires at least 11,000 public buses. This gap results in a lack of last-mile connectivity for thousands of people, ultimately leading to congestion.
Ashok Bhasin, president of a federation of North Delhi residents’ welfare associations, said: “Public transport has reduced considerably, while road damage has worsened, with many stretches in poor condition and repairs delayed. Even the construction of Metro Phase 4 has damaged roads. The government is focusing on advertisements rather than ground-level work, and residents are suffering.”
Experts said it would be important to integrate bus expansion with better route planning and faster metro construction.
Health: Insurance extension given, capacity building continues
Health care has been one of the most prominent areas for early policy implementation. One of the first decisions of the government was to implement Ayushman Bharat in Delhi ₹Rs 5 lakh state-funded top-up, doubling health insurance coverage ₹Rs 10 lakh per family. This expanded publicly funded access to treatment in government and empaneled private hospitals.
At the primary care level, Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have been aggressively developed, with plans to increase their number to about 1,100, with the aim of improving neighborhood level access to free health care. The government has expanded maternal and child welfare programmes, enrolled more than 83,700 beneficiaries under maternity assistance schemes and planned additional nutrition benefits.
Officials said the insurance expansion represents a structural shift in health care financing, giving residents access to treatment at hospitals.
However, health care experts said it would be necessary to expand hospital capacity, strengthen public hospital infrastructure and increase the availability of specialists to meet the growing demand.
Education: Fee inspection begins, emphasis on infrastructure begins
Education has seen policy and infrastructure initiatives, although major structural reforms are in the early stages. The government introduced the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fee Determination and Regulation) Act, 2025, which aims to regulate private school fees and improve transparency.
Infrastructure development has been prioritized with plans to create more than 7,000 smart classrooms along with ICT and language laboratories with the aim of modernizing government schools. Financial assistance schemes have been planned to support students preparing for competitive exams, including travel reimbursements, although the full rollout and disbursement is ongoing.
Comprehensive proposals such as extension of free education from KG to PG level are in the consultation and planning stage, with financial feasibility and infrastructure capacity still under assessment.
Foundation laid, implementation underway
The first year of the government has been characterized by better coordination with the Center as well as clear expansion in welfare schemes, transport electrification, healthcare insurance and infrastructure planning. At the same time, several long-term structural reforms – including comprehensive water distribution reforms, pollution reduction strategies, education expansion, and health care capacity upgrading – are underway or in the planning stage.
As Delhi enters the second year of the current administration, the focus should shift towards sustained infrastructure delivery and structural reforms in essential public services.
