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'Will Analyse Situation After Diwali': Environment Minister Rai On Odd-Even Scheme, Artificial Rain

Eliminate Solid Fuel Burning Across Sectors: Environment Expert Amid Rising Pollution "On November 2, when the massive buildup of pollution happened...We were amazed at the rate and the speed with which the pollution had increased by nearly 68% within 24 hours...We really have to ramp up our action throughout the year so that we can build adequate infrastructure systems to scale, to implement the solutions at a scale so that vehicular pollution can be controlled by improving public transport...Eliminate solid fuel burning in all sectors. At the same time, deal with and aggressively scale up the use of clean fuel and technology in industries," Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Center for Science and Environment, Anumita Roychowdhury told ANI.

Hafta 458: Delhi’s toxic air woes

This week on NL Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal and Anand Vardhan are joined by Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director for research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment. The discussion kicks off with Delhi’s toxic air. Anumita says Delhi’s taken steps to curb air pollution over the last few decades but these interventions aren’t enough. She says alternative policy frameworks are required to incentivise farmers not to burn stubble. On vehicular pollution, Raman says there are too many cars on Delhi’s streets, and the panel discusses how cars are now a “status symbol”. Would it help to frame the issue of air pollution as a national issue, rather than leave it to states?

खतरनाक वायु प्रदूषण से जूझ रही दिल्ली, 13 पॉल्यूशन हॉटस्पॉट बने चिंता के कारण

दिल्ली की जहरीली वायु गुणवत्ता पर एक हालिया रिपोर्ट में बताया गया है कि राजधानी में वायु प्रदूषण के स्तर में भारी वृद्धि के लिए केवल पराली जलाने को जिम्मेदार नहीं ठहराया जा सकता है। इसमें इस बात पर जोर दिया गया है कि वाहन उत्सर्जन जैसे स्थानीय कारकों ने पराली जलाने के प्रमुख कारक बनने से पहले ही दिल्ली में प्रदूषण के स्तर में महत्वपूर्ण योगदान दिया था। एक्यूआई सांद्रता सीमा के अनुसार, दिल्ली के प्रदूषण स्तर पीएम 2.5 की सांद्रता में इस सर्दी के मौसम में पहली बार भारी वृद्धि देखी गई: 24 घंटों के भीतर अचानक और आश्चर्यजनक रूप से 68 प्रतिशत की वृद्धि के साथ, 313 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति मीटर क्यूब (एमजी/एम3) को पार कर गया, जो ‘गंभीर प्लस’ श्रेणी के बराबर था। सीएसई की कार्यकारी निदेशक अनुमिता रॉय चौधरी ने इन दिनों दिल्ली-एनसीआर को जकड़ने वाले घातक शीतकालीन प्रदूषण पर सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) द्वारा एक नया विश्लेषण जारी करते हुए कहा, ”इस सर्दी के मौसम की शुरुआत पिछले साल नवंबर की तुलना में काफी अधिक प्रदूषण स्तर के साथ हुई है। प्रतिकूल मौसम संबंधी परिस्थितियों, फसल अवशेष जलाने की शुरुआत और उच्च स्थानीय प्रदूषण के संयोजन ने पैमाने को खतरनाक तरीके से झुका दिया है, जिससे सार्वजनिक स्वास्थ्य जोखिम बढ़ गया है।” ”भले ही समग्र दीर्घकालिक प्रदूषण वक्र स्थिर और नीचे की ओर है, फिर भी यह राष्ट्रीय परिवेशी वायु गुणवत्ता मानकों से काफी ऊपर है। यह पूरे क्षेत्र में वाहनों, उद्योग, ऊर्जा प्रणालियों और अपशिष्ट प्रबंधन पर सबसे कठोर और निरंतर कार्रवाई की मांग करता है।” यह विश्लेषण सीएसई की अर्बन लैब द्वारा किया गया है, जिसके प्रमुख अविकल सोमवंशी ने कहा, ”सीजन के इस हिस्से के दौरान इस तरह का तेजी से बढ़ना असामान्य नहीं है और आम तौर पर खेत की पराली की आग से निकलने वाले धुएं और दिल्ली-एनसीआर में धुएं के परिवहन में मदद करने वाले मौसम संबंधी कारकों और उच्च स्थानीय प्रदूषण के शीर्ष पर पहुंचने से जुड़ा होता है।” “यह ध्यान में रखा जाना चाहिए कि कम समय में यह तीव्र वृद्धि हवा की गुणवत्ता को गंभीर श्रेणी में ले जाने में सक्षम है क्योंकि स्थानीय स्रोतों से आधारभूत प्रदूषण पहले से ही बहुत अधिक है।” रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, 2018-10 में पहचाने गए लगभग 13 प्रदूषण हॉटस्पॉट एक चुनौती बने हुए हैं, जबकि नए हॉटस्पॉट भी उभर रहे हैं और बढ़ रहे हैं। सभी हॉटस्पॉट में, मुंडका और न्यू मोती बाग दिल्ली के सबसे प्रदूषित स्थान हैं, जहां औसत पीएम 2.5 का स्तर 300 एमजी/एम3 से अधिक है। दिल्ली के अधिकांश आधिकारिक हॉटस्पॉट प्रदूषण के ‘गंभीर’ स्तर को पार कर रहे हैं। वहीं, कई गैर-हॉटस्पॉट में प्रदूषण का स्तर अधिक दिख रहा है। दिल्ली में सबसे प्रदूषित नए हॉटस्पॉट न्यू मोती बाग, नेहरू नगर, सोनिया विहार और डीयू नॉर्थ कैंपस हैं। ग्रेटर नोएडा, नोएडा सेक्टर 62, लोनी और फरीदाबाद एनसीआर में सबसे प्रदूषित स्थान हैं। रॉय चौधरी का कहना है, “परिवहन और उद्योग क्षेत्रों में ईंधन और प्रौद्योगिकी को साफ करने और धूल स्रोतों को नियंत्रित करने के लिए पिछले कुछ सालों में कई उपाय किए गए हैं, स्वच्छ वायु लक्ष्यों को पूरा करने के लिए नीतिगत अंतराल को संबोधित करने के लिए बड़े पैमाने पर और गति से अधिक कार्रवाई की आवश्यकता है। केवल इसी से सार्वजनिक स्वास्थ्य को खतरे में डालने वाले ऐसे स्मॉग एपिसोड को बनने से रोका जा सकता है।” ”वाहनों, उद्योग, बिजली संयंत्रों, अपशिष्ट जलाने, निर्माण और धूल स्रोतों से उत्सर्जन में कटौती के लिए स्थानीय और क्षेत्रीय स्तर पर बहु-क्षेत्रीय कार्रवाई की आवश्यकता है। इनमें से प्रत्येक क्षेत्र में बुनियादी ढांचे और प्रणालियों में परिवर्तनकारी बदलाव की आवश्यकता है।” रॉय चौधरी ने आगे कहा कि फसल अवशेष जलाने जैसे प्रासंगिक प्रदूषण पर मजबूत नियंत्रण, अन्य सभी प्रदूषण स्रोतों पर मजबूत हाइपर-स्थानीय कार्रवाई और अधिक प्रभावी निगरानी, प्रवर्तन और अनुपालन रणनीति की भी आवश्यकता है।

Political blame game begins as ‘pollution season’ shrouds Delhi

As soon as the smog descended, the political mudslinging began. For over a week, pollution levels in Delhi have consistently remained in the “severe” category and its 33 million residents have been forced to breathe toxic air that exceeded healthy limits of pollutants by more than 100 times. “Pollution season” as it is now darkly referred to by those living in India’s capital, has become an annual event as the weather turns colder and pollutants get trapped over the Indo-Gangetic plain, which is cocooned by the Himalayan mountains. Cars, factories, construction and power plants are all to blame but so too is the seasonal wheat stubble burning in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana, when farmers set fire to their fields to quickly make way for new crops, despite the practice being outlawed. According to the Centre for Science and Environment, stubble burning has accounted for up to 38% of the pollution levels in Delhi over the past week. Yet though the murky grey skies arrive every year without fail and a recent study found that pollution was shortening the lives of Delhi residents by almost 12 years, still no one among the state and central governments has been willing to take responsibility. Instead, over the past week, a familiar political blame game has ensued, as politicians from opposing parties, state governments and the ruling Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) government have attempted to shift responsibility on to each other. “Governments have been promising that they will make Delhi a better place but nothing has happened,” said Ravi Shankar, 31, as he sold tea at his roadside stall, often outside for 14 hours a day. “My eyes feel a burning sensation and my head feels like it is spinning. I am worried about my future.” As the air quality levels plummeted, a row swiftly escalated between the BJP and the opposition Aam Admi party (AAP), which governs Delhi and Punjab. Virendra Sachdeva, BJP state president for Delhi, accused Delhi’s chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, of “inaction and insensitivity” and turning Delhi into a “gas chamber”. “Delhiites are complaining of itching and breathlessness and children are falling ill. Only Kejriwal is responsible for all this,” he said. BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia also chimed in, accusing Kejriwal of making false promises and being “more dangerous to people than the stifling air endangering them”. AAP hit back, arguing that Delhi was not to blame for most of the problems. Instead it accused the central government of being “asleep” when it came to tackling air pollution, and said it was failures of neighbouring BJP-controlled states that were the main culprits. “These conditions are against us,” said Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai. “If other states like Haryana and Uttar Pradesh were active, like Delhi, then the situation could improve.” AAP also accused the government of worsening air pollution by cutting funding for one of the £2m smog towers that AAP built in the city centre designed to help clean the air. Yet scientists widely agree that these smog towers are almost completely ineffective and have been described as nothing more than an expensive public relations exercise. At a supreme court hearing this week that took state governments to task for the hazardous and unrelenting pollution levels, judges Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia expressed their exasperation. “There cannot be a political battle every time,” they said. “We are at zero level patience on this issue now.” Among scientists and experts, there was deep frustration at pollution being treated as a localised issue to be batted away between states, and that more energy appeared to be spent on absolving responsibility than tackling the major causes. “All these states contribute to each other’s pollution; governments need to realise that no city can be an individual oasis of clean air,” said Vivek Chattopadhyay, programme manager for the clean air programme at Delhi’s Centre for Science and Environment. “This should be a collective political responsibility and unless they work together, there will be no solution. The central government should be coordinating this action and working with all the states.” Shibani Ghosh, an environmental lawyer, said at both state and central government levels there was a failure to acknowledge that pollution was not just a temporary issue, but one that required a long-term substantial overhaul of regulation, laws and institutions, both on a state and national level. “As soon as the smog descends, the political blame game starts and it’s this short-sightedness that is a big part of the problem,” she said. “This isn’t an issue that just begins in November, it’s a year-round problem and needs to be addressed as such. While state governments have failed to take several necessary measures, and continue to blame each other, where is the central environment ministry in all this?” For those living in Delhi, many whose livelihoods relied on them remaining outdoors in the toxic air, there was both anger and resignation that they faced weeks, probably months, of poisonous air ahead. Sunil Kumar Panday, 55, a security guard at a restaurant, said he felt dizzy constantly and everyone around him was suffering from headaches, coughs, fevers and nausea. “You can clearly feel by breathing that we are inhaling something really toxic,” he said. “We are in a city where breathing, which is the basic human need, feels terrible. I struggle to imagine what the future will look like.” Aakash Hassan contributed reporting

NEMC advances to strengthen environmental governance

National Environmental Management Council jointly with Centre for Science and Environment has developed an audit manual to strengthen the existing system Tanzania has strongly framed the Environmental Impact Assessment and Audit Regulations, 2005 which details every aspect required and with proper checks and balances. However, the audit reports submitted by industries do not reflect the intention as mentioned in the regulations and thus the implementation fails to provide the desired outcomes. The review of the annual audit report of a few industries highlights insufficient or improper reporting. Thus, the National Environmental Management Council (NEMC) jointly with Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a Delhi-based think tank, has developed an audit manual to strengthen the existing system. “The Council has observed that the received self-audit reports are in different formats, lack important information and, in some cases, do not reflect the actual status of the operating facility. To add to that, these reports do not adequately cover the information included in the Environmental Management Plan developed during the environmental impact assessment (EIA). This technical manual is intended to streamline the processes associated with undertaking and review of the environmental audits. The submitted self-audit reports need to be clear, and should be capable of identifying and correcting non-compliances and supporting improvement programmes,” said Samuel Mafwenga, Director General, NEMC. Environmental audit is a series of activities undertaken with respect to the operations of a facility or an organisation to evaluate its environmental performance, noted CSE. It assesses compliance of the facility with the environmental governing laws and thus recommends corrective measures to manage the negative impacts on the environment or human health. The self-audit conducted by industries annually is an important exercise as it allows the industries to analyse the ambiguities in implementation of management plans and pushes them to keep improving their environmental performance regularly. In other words, these self-audits are considered to be a tool for achieving the goal of sustainable development. “These (environmental self-audits) are considered as a methodological examination, involving analyses, tests and confirmations of a facility’s procedures and practices with a goal of verifying whether they comply with environmental and legal requirements” said Nivit Yadav, programme director, industrial pollution, CSE. According to the Tanzania’s Regulations (2005) and its amendment (2018), projects specified in the Third Schedule of the Act and the on-going projects that have been issued EIA certificate are required to undertake self-monitoring, prepare an Annual Environmental Audit report and submit the same to the Council annually or as may be prescribed by the Council. The regulations specified that only qualified and authorised environmental auditors or environmental inspectors can undertake the environmental audit. It also elaborated in detail the information required in an audit report including past and present impacts of the project, responsibility and proficiency of the operators of the project, existing internal control mechanisms to identify and mitigate activities with a negative environmental impact and the existence of environmental awareness and sensitisation measures, including environmental standards, and regulations, law and policy, for the managerial and operational personnel. CHALLENGES WITH EXISTING AUDIT REPORTING While preparing this manual, officials from CSE and NEMC reviewed several annual audit reports from different sectors. Though industries are submitting comprehensive reports, still a lot of vital information was missing, making the reports insufficient, the officials observed. The information gap limits regulators from taking corrective decisions to improve the performance of industry or nearby receptors. Some of the inadequacies identified includes: Only one year data is provided: Foremost observation after the review of audit reports is that the industries have provided data only for last year. Having only one year of data makes it difficult to analyse whether the performance of an industry has improved or deteriorated. Lots of irrelevant information: Audit reports have a lot of repetitive information which was already submitted in the EIA report. This includes location of the plants in terms of GIS / GPS coordinates, both in tabular format and maps, detailed process description, among others, making the reports unnecessarily bulky and difficult to review. Quantitative information missing: The audit report provides detailed information about industry manufacturing process, type of raw material used, power source, chemicals used. However, little is shared about the quantities. For example, a sugar industry is a water-guzzling industry but its audit report does not provide any information on the quantity of wastewater generated and even its quality. Incomplete monitoring information: Industries have provided exhaustive information on protocol adopted to conduct stack monitoring or equipment used for the same. For example, the audit report of a cement industry has provided monitoring data from all the stacks except the main stack which is attached to the kiln. It is this stack which generates the maximum stack emissions in a cement plant and the information about this stack is not available in the monitoring report. Additionally, the parameters selected for monitoring in a bagasse fired boiler included CO2, CO, NO, NOx, SO2 but did not monitor SPM which is a major polluter in bagasse-fired boilers. No rationale for site identified for ambient air monitoring: The review of the environmental audit report shows that extensive ambient air monitoring exercises have been done by these industries. However, the rationale for selecting sites for the monitoring has not been provided in the report. Performing monitoring at sites where impact of plant’s operation is not observed does not serve any purpose. Monitoring should be done at locations which are impacted by the plant’s operation. Conflicting information: An industry with a high water pollution load has not provided any information on wastewater treatment facilities. However, the cover page of its audit report showcases one of the systems of the wastewater treatment plant. This raises the question whether the industry has installed any treatment facility or not. “The audit reports are weak in providing necessary information for enforcement. They have only one year’s data, which means the performance of the industry could not be compared with the previous year. The reports have irrelevant information which had already been covered in the EIA reports. While there is enough qualitative information, the reports lack quantitative data,” said Yadav. NEMC should hand-hold industries, consultants and auditors using manuals and guidelines for ensuring better quality of audit reports, he added. WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE Despite the industries submitting audit reports in detailed format, the reports could not be used for regulatory purposes to understand the environmental performance of the unit or to suggest any plans for its improvements in coming years. Thus, CSE proposed few recommendations to strengthen the system: Prepare a technical manual detailing the format and information required in an environmental audit report Make water audit mandatory for water-intensive industries Prepare and introduce self-audit guidelines for industries to ensure that they collect relevant data which will assist regulators during audit Set up a committee of sector-specific experts who can technically review the audit reports and provide suggestions for improving the environmental performance of the industries Introduce a strategy to upload audit reports on the NEMC website – this transparency would help initiate public participation and feedback as well as assess the performance of an industry in terms of public health “Apart from being of immense use for project proponents and experts in conducting self-audits, this technical manual would also be useful for the Council and other regulatory bodies to review submitted documents” said Menan Jangu, director, NEMC. We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.

At 404, Gurgaon’s air slips back to ‘severe’ for 3rd time in 7 days

GURGAON: The city’s air quality dropped to ‘severe’ with an index of 404 on Thursday, while it was ‘very poor’ (385) on Wednesday. The last time the city recorded ‘severe’ AQI on November 5 (402) and November 4 (404). Gurgaon pollution Out of the four monitoring stations, Sector 51 (454) recorded the highest index, followed by Vikas Sadan (402) and Teri Gram (353). The data from Gwalpahari was not available. According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), surface winds with speeds ranging from 4kmph to 12kmph are expected for the next six days, and the AQI is likely to stay in the ‘very poor’ or ‘severe’ category. Meanwhile, neighbouring Delhi (437) and Faridabad (410) recorded ‘severe’ AQI on Thursday while Noida (394) and Ghaziabad (391) recorded AQI in the ‘very poor’ category. The PM2.5, too, remained at hazardous levels on Thursday — it was the highest in Sector 51 (428µg/m3), followed by Vikas Sadan (419 µg/m3) and Teri Gram (343µg/m3). The PM10 level was the highest at Sector 51 (422µg/m3), followed by Teri Gram (358µg/m3). Vikas Sadan doesn’t record PM10 data. According to the CPCB, the annual average permissible limits for PM2.5 and PM10 are 40µg/m3 and 60µg/m3, respectively. “The region may witness a slight relief as a western disturbance is approaching. Wind speed and directions are likely to change in the next two days. This will bring some changes in the air quality as well, but it is just temporary. It will again turn 'severe' in some days because of local factors,” said Shubhansh Tiwari, a research associate at the Centre for Science and Environment. Meanwhile, the city recorded a minimum temperature of 17.1 degrees Celsius on Thursday and a maximum temperature of 31 degrees. “There is a possibility of rain on the weekend because of a western disturbance in the region,” said Manmohan Singh, director of IMD’s Chandigarh centre. We also published the following articles recently Wind improves air quality in Noida and Gurgaon, AQI stands in 'very poor' zoneThe air quality in Noida and Ghaziabad slightly improved on Monday due to increased wind speed, but still remained in the 'very poor' category. In Gurgaon, the Air Quality Index (AQI) decreased from 'severe' to 'very poor' on Monday. The AQI in Noida also decreased, while in Greater Noida it remained in the 'severe' range. Ghaziabad recorded a lower AQI compared to the previous day. The Noida administration has appointed sector magistrates to ensure compliance with pollution control norms.105025036 Marginal dip in air pollution levels in Delhi, AQI in 'very poor' categoryDelhi's air quality has improved slightly, moving from 'severe' to 'very poor' after five consecutive days of severe pollution. However, the concentration of PM2.5 fine particulate matter remains significantly higher than the safe limit, posing health risks. The Ministry of Earth Science predicts a return to 'severe' air quality on November 8. To combat pollution, the Delhi government has reinstated the odd-even scheme and temporarily suspended in-person classes in schools. The Graded Response Action Plan has also been implemented, including restrictions on construction activities and polluting trucks. Air pollution in Delhi is equivalent to smoking 10 cigarettes a day.105045381 Wind helps improve AQI, but air still very poorThe air quality in Gurgaon, India, improved slightly on Monday due to an increase in wind speed. The city's air quality index (AQI) decreased from "severe" to "very poor". However, experts warn that the AQI is still hazardous and more action is needed to reduce pollution from industries, power plants, and local sources like transportation and construction. The PM2.5 and PM10 levels remain at hazardous levels. Other cities in the Delhi-NCR region also recorded poor to severe AQI levels. Health experts advise residents to stay indoors and wear N95 masks during peak pollution hours.105025430

Past 12 months were the hottest year-long period in history

Global temperatures set a new 12-month record, exceeding 1.3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels from November 2022 to October this year, a new analysis of international climate data released by Climate Central said on Thursday. Global temperatures set a new 12-month record, exceeding 1.3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels from November 2022 to October this year, a new analysis of international climate data released by Climate Central said on Thursday. This is the hottest year-long period in recorded history according to the analysis with 170 countries recording mean temperatures that exceeded 30-year normals. Around 7.8 billion people or 99% of humanity was exposed to above-average temperatures except Iceland and Lesotho which recorded cooler-than-normal temperatures, Climate Central, a non-profit science and news organization said. The analysis using the Climate Shift Index (CSI) — Climate Central’s daily local temperature attribution system — indicates that human-caused climate change significantly raised temperatures over the Past 12 months. CSI applies a peer reviewed methodology to attribute climate impacts. It is based on a study that was published in journal of Advances in Statistical Climatology, Meteorology and Oceanography last year. For example, CSI level 3 indicates that human-caused climate change made those temperatures at least three times more likely. The analysis looks at daily average temperatures and heat waves and included data for 175 countries, 154 states, and 920 major cities. Least developed countries and small island nations had THE highest exposure to climate-driven heat, but climate change touched every country, and intense heat waves were recorded in the US, Europe, India, and China. The highest average CSI was recorded for Jamaica, with an average CSI of 4.5 out of a maximum of 5 in the past 12 months. This means that climate change had an extraordinary impact on the average person in Jamaica who experienced temperatures made more than four times more likely by human-caused climate change. Guatemala (4.4) and Rwanda (4.1), also had 12-month average CSI values above 4. India recorded average CSI of 1 but the CSI increased to 1.6 between May and October this year. The large area of many of the G20 countries tends to mask the climate signal when looking at country-wide averages as is the case for India, the analysis said. Several Indian states recorded high CSIs during this year since May including Kerala (3.6), Goa (3.4), Andaman and Nicobar (3.3), Puducherry (3.2), Mizoram (3.0), Karnataka (3.0), Meghalaya (2.9), Manipur (2.8) and Tripura (2.8) . While the CSI averaged across the US population was relatively low, several US states also had high average CSI values including Hawaii (2.8), Louisiana (1.9), and Texas (1.9). In India, 1.2 billion residents — 86% of the population — experienced CSI level 3 temperatures on 30 or more days. In China that figure was 513 million residents or 35% of the population; and in the United States, 88 million , 26% of the population. “This 12-month record is exactly what we expect from a global climate fueled by carbon pollution,” said Andrew Pershing, vice president for science at Climate Central. “Records will continue to fall next year, especially as the growing El Niño begins to take hold, exposing billions to unusual heat. While climate impacts are most acute in developing countries near the equator, seeing climate-fueled streaks of extreme heat in the US, India, Japan, and Europe underscores that no one is safe from climate change,” he added. The analysis comes days ahead of the UN Climate Summit (COP28) to be held in Dubai. One of the main deliverables of COP28 is the global stocktake (GST). GST is a review of collective progress towards achieving the purpose and long-term goals of the Paris Agreement. HT reported on September 9 that the synthesis report of the first Global Stocktake released by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change found that global efforts on climate crisis are falling short of meeting the Paris Agreement goals of keeping global warming under 2 degrees C (over pre-industrial levels) and pursuing efforts to keep it under 1.5 degrees C. HT had reported that this year the 1.5 degree C goal was breached temporarily on certain months. “The GST is an opportunity for the world to reset the ambition and the cooperation agenda. I believe the GST should lay down a very ambitious pathway going forward but one that recognises a rule based international system and is based on common but differentiated responsibilities. GST is also an opportunity to correct the wrongs in terms of adaptation and loss and damage and to recognise the need for grant based concessional finance for the countries of the global South,” said Sunita Narain, director general of Centre for Science and Environment who is also on COP28’s advisory committee.

Odd-even scheme: Private CNG cars registered in Delhi not to be exempted during rationing

NEW DELHI: CNG four wheelers registered in the capital will not be exempted if the odd-even road use arrangement is implemented for a week from November 13 to 20. Sources in Delhi government said that the draft plan does not exempt CNG vehicles from running solely on days that coincide with their number plate, unlike during the last iteration of the scheme. “Except for electric vehicles, there will be no fuel-based exception. Though CNG is a comparatively cleaner fuel, what we have to consider is that a major cause of pollution is vehicular congestion,” a government source said. However, all taxis registered in Delhi, of fuel type, will be given exemption from complying with the day-number requirement. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, Centre for Science and Environment, responded, “When pollution levels are very bad, then you just have to do everything you can to prevent pollution.” She affirmed that reducing the number of vehicles allowed to run would reduce traffic congestion. Only vehicles with zero tailpipe emissions should be permitted to run, said Amit Bhatt, India MD, International Council on Clean Transportation. “It is not that CNG does not produce emission. It does, though less than diesel and petrol,” said Bhatt. “What should be done is to check particulate matter and nitrogen oxides emissions when issuing a pollution check certificate. This will give a correct picture of emissions.” About the prospect of Delhi government completely prohibiting cabs registered in other states from entering Delhi, the sources said that only odd or even numbered cars would come to Delhi on alternate days from NCR during the road rationing period. In an official statement on Thursday, Uber said, “We would like to bring to your attention that every single one of the 70,000 cars on the Uber platform across Delhi NCR runs on clean fuel, either CNG or electric, as opposed to private vehicles that run on petrol or diesel, which are the more polluting fuels. Any shift from private vehicles to CNG or electric cabs would only abate the pollution by encouraging people to move to cleaner fuels. An indiscriminate restriction on CNG vehicles which run on clean fuel will force people to move to petrol or diesel vehicles.” Uber urged Delhi government to take an “all-encompassing view based on scientific evidence” while keeping in mind the “larger humanitarian crisis this move can precipitate” but assured its support for all measures taken to fight pollution.

Students start no-honking campaign

Bengaluru: Mount Carmel College students on Thursday said they’ve initiated a campaign to create awareness about escalating vehicular pollution. They said noise levels from engines and horns could be contributing to approximately 60% of the city’s overall sound pollution. The initiative began Wednesday between Shangri-La Hotel and Bengaluru Palace, focusing on combating unnecessary honking. It involved students holding placards with messages like — “Drive wisely not noisily”, “What’s the rush, keep the hush” — that urged people not to honk. They even asked citizens to take up “#100KmsNoHonkingChallenge”, wherein they’re expected to drive 100km without honking. Sr Albina, director, Mount Carmel College, emphasised the need for collective responsibility: Rajkumar Dugar, founder, Citizens for Citizens (C4C), outlined a comprehensive approach to address pollution. He proposed studies, awareness drives, improved traffic management and stringent enforcement. tnn We also published the following articles recently GRAP IV in Delhi: Vehicular Pollution In FocusThe sub-committee of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and adjoining areas has implemented "severe plus" measures to reduce vehicular pollution as Delhi's AQI reached 454. These measures include restrictions on truck traffic, banning certain diesel-operated vehicles, and limiting office capacity. The commission defines "severe plus" when the AQI exceeds 450. The decision was made after the AQI rapidly increased on Sunday. The executive director of the Centre for Science and Environment emphasized the need for both emergency and systemic measures to improve air quality.105000287 White House: 100 US citizens and family members left Gaza on ThursdayThe White House announced that a group of 100 US citizens and their family members have been safely evacuated from Gaza, with more Americans expected to leave soon. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that efforts to secure the departure of foreign nationals from Gaza are ongoing and dynamic. The situation remains fluid, with negotiations being intense.104951604 Thane breathes easy after Day 2 of anti-pollution driveThe Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has taken action against residents and commercial units contributing to air pollution in the city. Notices have been issued and penalties have been imposed on dumper owners dumping debris in the city. The municipal commissioner launched a drive to improve air quality after noticing rising pollution levels. Flying squads were formed to issue warnings to violators. Thane was found to have higher pollution levels compared to other monitored zones.105102319

MC earmarks 20 sites to set up temporary fire stations

Chandigarh: Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, has identified a total of 20 locations across the city for setting up temporary fire stations during Diwali. The Fire and Emergency Services department has also finalised the roster of employees, and six staff will be deployed in three shifts on such temporary stations. These temporary fire stations will work round the clock for four days, November 10th to 13th, and each unit will be manned by experienced firemen. “Besides over half a dozen markets, other high footfall areas of the city will also be covered under this arrangement. A big fire fighting vehicle will be stationed at each location for quick response, in case of any fire,” sources said. “In 12 cracker selling sites, around 100 stalls are permitted by the Chandigarh administration. It is a high-risk area for the civic body authority. Besides the temporary fire stations, the department has fire-fighting motorcycles, which will keep moving inside congested markets, commercial areas and other required locations. Deployment of staff for bike-borne fire-fighters has also been done,” an official said. We also published the following articles recently 450 vendors get temporary licences in cityOver 450 vendors in Ranchi have obtained licenses to sell firecrackers at designated locations for the Diwali festival. The sellers will operate at various grounds and a school. However, the firecracker market will not be set up at Morhabadi ground this year due to Statehood Day celebrations. This administrative step aims to enhance the shopping experience, boost local businesses, and ensure safety. The Diwali Market is known for its diverse range of goods and is popular among residents and tourists.105082615 Delhi Air Pollution: 'GRAP temporary measure, penal action required'Experts have highlighted the inadequate implementation and enforcement of existing rules as the weakest link in the fight against air pollution in Delhi-NCR. They emphasized the need for real action in addressing vehicular pollution, industrial emissions, waste burning, and construction/demolition dust, instead of solely focusing on episodic events like stubble burning. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) called for more stringent enforcement, monitoring, and penal action. Another expert from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) pointed out the lack of progress in strengthening public transportation and emission regulations for industries and power plants. Both experts advocated for an airshed approach to pollution control.105000048 CRPF deploys UAVs and additional troops for newly introduced polling stations in Naxal hit areasThe Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has deployed additional troops, drones, road opening parties, and withdrawal teams to ensure voting in newly created polling stations in hypersensitive areas in Chhattisgarh. Around 450 polling stations have been established in areas previously controlled by Maoists. Two additional companies of the CRPF's commando battalions have been deployed in sensitive locations, and 62 CRPF companies have been brought to the state. The CRPF has also established 22 new forward operating bases in naxal areas. Coordination meetings with senior officers of the state police and the election commission have taken place to ensure security at sensitive polling booths.105014175

Toxic air: Get serious on avoiding death by breath

If you live in a city with clean air, cycling is good for your health. Not so, however, in cities with toxic air. A cyclist inhales more air, and when the air is severely polluted, it means inhaling more toxic air. Which means cycling is not advisable in Delhi right now. Ditto for brisk walking or any kind of vigorous outdoor activity. In an all-too-familiar scenario, the city, home to more than 20 million people, as well as its neighbourhood, is once again making headlines because of its toxic air even amid all the news about looming Assembly elections in several states, Israel’s attacks on Gaza and the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe. At the time of writing, pollution levels in Delhi have slightly improved. From "severe" for five consecutive days, it had moved up to the "very poor" category. As if on cue, on November 6, Facebook tossed up a photo I had clicked last year on the same date -- it was about sunset, smog and the city. Many among the upper middle classes and rich are seeking a reprieve by installing air purifiers at home, travelling in air-conditioned cars and spending as much time indoors as possible. But it is still a wafer-thin minority that has all these options. All schools in Delhi have been ordered to remain shut till November 10; construction is banned, as is non-essential truck movement. Water sprinklers are being used to settle the dust. Doctors are asking people to wear masks, stay indoors as long as possible. And the "odd-even" car restrictions are set to return after Diwali. Year after year, it is the same story. How does one talk about India’s terrifying air pollution when the discourse around it seems repetitive and bordering on hopeless? What are we missing in the conversation about air pollution? How do we overcome hopelessness? To start with, there is a need to separate the official talking points from the national conversation about toxic air. Official India does not like global benchmarks; it is hesitant to see a correlation between air pollution and deaths and diseases. But the national conversation is shaped not just by official statements. It must take on board what scientists and experts are saying and citizens’ voices. Despite the mounting scientific data, we are not taking the devastating health effects of toxic air seriously. A scientific paper published by the India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative in December 2020 on the health and economic impact of air pollution in Lancet Planetary Health noted that 1.7 million deaths in India were attributable to air pollution in 2019, 18 per cent of the deaths in the country. It said that while household air pollution is decreasing in India, resulting in 64 per cent reduction in the death rate attributable to it from 1990 to 2019, the death rate from outdoor ambient air pollution has increased during this period by 115 per cent. Health must be the prism through which we view and address air pollution. Official strategies to deal with air pollution do not centre-stage the health effects. Many experts say that, typically, all governments in India opt to deal with low-hanging fruits. They look for quick fixes, silver bullets, like smog towers and spraying water. These can improve things a little in the short term, but they will not solve India’s smog problem. "The problem with the national conversation on air pollution is that it is fixated on specific times of the year and on extremes. So, the official strategy to deal with air pollution also largely pivots around winter, ignoring what happens the rest of the year. The discussion is also Delhi-centric. But air pollution now is a pan-India problem, also prevalent in smaller cities", says Bhargav Krishna, environmental health and policy researcher and fellow, Sustainable Futures Collaborative. On November 5, Fatehabad in Haryana topped the "most polluted city" list in India, with PM2.5 concentration at 338 µg/m3 (microgrammes per cubic metre), as Sunil Dahiya, analyst, Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), pointed out on X (formerly Twitter). Delhi was second, with a PM2.5 concentration of 334 µg/m3. Mumbai’s air is also raising concerns though it is not as bad as Delhi. Arguably, winter is the worst, pollution sits in the air, but, as Krishna points out, we cannot deal with India’s air pollution problem "if we ignore what happens for the rest of the year". There are multiple reasons for toxic air in many parts of India -- construction, vehicular pollution, stubble burning, industrial emissions and others. We need to talk about all the factors which cumulatively contribute to toxic air, and not just a few. We need to ask questions. For example, why is there so little focus on the contribution of power plants to foul air? Only five per cent of India's coal-fired power stations have installed flue gas desulphurisation systems, that are air pollution control mechanisms for sulphur dioxide emissions, according to a recent study by environmental think tank Centre for Science and Environment. And we need to talk about regulation. "We have emissions guidelines, but they are not enforced. The regulatory capacity and will are not there," says Krishna. We need hyper-local data on health impacts of air pollution. "Currently, we do not have data about respiratory infections from primary health centres or at the block level. The other source of health data would be from outpatient visits. There is no centralised database on this currently. A state profile will not give us the necessary micro picture," Krishna adds. In January 2019, India launched its National Clean Air Programme. Key goals included reduction of PM2.5 levels by 20-30 per cent by 2024 relative to 2017 levels in 132 cities. A recent report by CREA points to sluggish progress -- only 37 of the cities have completed even the source apportionment studies which were supposed to be completed in 2020. And that would be just the first step. Almost all these reports still lack public availability and no city action plan has been updated with new findings of the report as envisaged in the NCAP. The National Emission Inventory is also yet to be formalised, which was to be completed by 2020, says CREA. India will also have to install many more air quality monitoring stations to reach its own goals by 2024. That might seem like a tall order. But it is not, if we are serious about avoiding death by breath. We must address the toxic air problem across the country, through the year, not just in winter.

ऑड-ईवन में दिल्ली की प्राइवेट CNG कारों को भी छूट नहीं, काम की हर बात जानिए

नई दिल्ली: अगर दिल्ली में ऑड-ईवन योजना लागू हुई तो सीएनजी फोर वीलर्स को छूट नहीं मिलेगी। सरकार 13 नवंबर से 20 नवंबर तक सप्ताह भर के लिए ऑड-ईवन लागू करने की तैयारी में है। सूत्रों के अनुसार, ड्राफ्ट प्लान में ऑड-ईवन के दायरे से CNG वीइकल्स को बाहर नहीं रखा गया है। पिछली बार, ऑड-ईवन की पाबंदियों से CNG गाड़ियों को छूट दी गई थी। एक सरकारी सूत्र ने कहा कि 'इलेक्ट्रिक वाहनों को छोड़कर ईंधन के आधार पर किसी तरह के वाहनों को छूट नहीं रहेगी। CNG वैसे तो साफ ईंधन है लेकिन हमें यह देखना होगा कि प्रदूषण की एक बड़ी वजह वीइकुलर कंजेशन है।' हालांकि, दिल्ली में रजिस्टर्ड सभी टैक्सियों को ऑड-ईवन के दौरान छूट मिलेगी। अन्‍य राज्‍यों में रजिस्टर्ड टैक्सियों पर ऑड-ईवन के दौरान प्रतिबंध रहेगा। दिल्‍ली सरकार के दूसरे राज्यों में रजिस्टर्ड कैब्‍स की एंट्री बंद करने के प्रस्ताव पर सूत्रों ने कहा कि ऑड-ईवन के दौरान, NCR से ऑल्टरनेट दिनों पर केवल ऑड या ईवन नंबर वाली कारें ही दिल्ली आएंगी। गुरुवार को एक आधिकारिक बयान में उबर (कैब एग्रीगेटर) ने कहा कि दिल्‍ली-एनसीआर में चलने वाली उसकी सभी कैब्स या तो CNG पर चलती हैं या इलेक्ट्रिक हैं। कंपनी ने कहा क‍ि CNG वीइकल्‍स पर ऐसी पाबंदियों से लोग पेट्रोल या डीजल वीइकल्‍स खरीदने को मजबूर होंगे। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट की एक्‍जीक्‍यूटिव डायरेक्‍टर अनुमति रॉय चौधरी ने कहा, 'जब प्रदूषण का स्‍तर बेहद खराब हो, तो प्रदूषण रोकने के लिए आपसे जो बन पड़े, करना चाहिए।' उन्‍होंने कहा कि गाड़ियों की आवाजाही पर रोक से ट्रैफिक कंजेशन कम होगा। इंटरनैशनल काउंसिल ऑन क्लीन ट्रांसपोर्टेशन के इंडिया एमडी, अमित भट्ट ने कहा कि केवल जीरो टेलपाइप एमिशंस वाले वीइकल्‍स की परमिशन होनी चाहिए। उन्‍होंने कहा, 'ऐसा नहीं कि CNG से एमिशन नहीं होता। होता है, लेकिन डीजल और पेट्रोल से कम होता है।' भट्ट ने कहा, 'होना यह चाहिए कि पलूशन चेक सर्टिफिकेट जारी करते समय पार्टिकुलेट मैटर और नाइट्रोजन ऑक्‍साइड्स एमिशंस देखने चाहिए। उससे एमिशंस की सही तस्‍वीर पता चलेगी।'​

ब्लॉग: शर्मनाक है दिल्ली का जानलेवा प्रदूषण

दि ल्ली और एनसी आर को पर्या वरणी य चुनौ ति यों का लगा ता र सा मना करना पड़ रहा है जो खरा ब शा सन से उत्पन्न हुई हैं: यमुना प्रदूषि त ही है; कूड़े की सफा ई एक समस्या बनी हुई है;है वा हनों का धुआं बढ़ रहा है, दो षपूर्ण शहरी नि यो जन के परि णा मस्वरूप शहरी बा ढ़ आती है और अरा वली पर्वत श्रृंखला सुरक्षि त नहीं है। अगर दि न में दो बार सफा ई न की जा ए, तो मेरेस्टडी टेबल और रसोई के सामा न पर धूल की एक मो टी परत जम जा ती थी , जो न केवल आंखों से दि खाई देती थी , बल्कि राष्ट्री य राजधा नी के एक प्रमुख क्षेत्र में ती सरी मंजि ल के फ्लैट में हा थ सेभी आसा नी से महसूस हो ती थी । यह 2014 की बा त है और, मैं कि सी भी मुख्य सड़क के कि ना रेकी इमा रत में नहीं रह रहा था। आज वह स्थि ति बहुत बदतर और राष्ट्री य शर्म की बा त हो गई है। लो ग अंतही न पी ड़ा झेल रहे हैं लेकि न सरका रेंइस राष्ट्री य स्वा स्थ्य आपा तका ल के सा मने पूरी तरह असहाय नजर आ रही हैं। भा रत सरका र, जो एक छो टे राज्य की सरका र के साथ मि लकर दि ल्ली पर शा सन करती है, इस तथ्य को स्वी का र करने से इनका र कर रही है कि यह एक लो कतां त्रि क त्रा सदी है। दि ल्ली में भा जपा (सभी सात सांसद उसके हैं) और आम आदमी पा र्टी (जि सके मुख्यमंत्री हमेशा खांसते रहते थे) की सरका रों के पा स एक-दूसरेसे लड़ने के लि ए समय है, लेकि न जनता के ज्वलंत मुद्दे को हल करने के लि ए एक साथ बैठने का समय नहीं है, यह जले पर नमक छि ड़कने जैसा है। दो नों पक्षों को कड़े शब्दों में धि क्का रने सेकुछ खास हा सि ल हो ने वा ला नहीं है, जो दुः खद है। सबसे अपमा नजनक बा त यह है कि एक अंतरराष्ट्री य क्रि केट आयो जन, जि समें वि देशी टी में शा मि ल थीं, का मैच भा री धुंध के बी च नई दि ल्ली में आयो जि त करना पड़ा , जि सकी बहुत आलो चना हुई। एशि या ई पड़ो सी-श्री लंका और बांग्ला देश-वि का सशी ल देश हैं,हैंलेकि न वहां हवा की गुणवत्ता दि ल्ली जैसी नहीं है. सा ल दर सा ल हर सर्दी में ऐसी वा यु गुणवत्ता के सा थ नई दि ल्ली दुनि या का सबसेखराब शहर रहा है। पि छले रवि वा र को एक्यूआई शनि वा र के 415 से बढ़कर 454 हो गया । जैसे-जैसेसर्दि यां आती हैं, घा तक वा यु प्रदूषण के का रण दि ल्ली वा सि यों की सांसेंसचमुच रुक-सी जा ती हैं। अब एक बच्चा भी जा नता है कि धूल के कण (पी एम 2.5) फेफड़ों में भा री संक्रमण का का रण बनते हैं और यह सब ला खों वा हनों के प्रदूषण, पटा खे, नि र्मा ण गति वि धि यों , तेजी से घटते वन क्षेत्र, लुप्त हो ते जल नि का य (का र्बन सिं क) और पराली जला ए जा ने जैसेका रकों के चलते हो ता है। अंतरराष्ट्री य क्रि केट मैच के अला वा , जो बात इंडि या , या भा रत के लि ए और अधि क अपमा नजनक है, वह यह तथ्य है कि राष्ट्री य राजधा नी में कई राजनयि क रहते हैं, जो आश्चर्य जता ते हैं कि भा रत इस समस्या का समा धा न क्यों नहीं कर सकता ? हम चंद्रमा पर उतरने या वंदे भा रत ट्रेन शुरू करने का ढिं ढो रा तो पी टते हैं,हैंलेकि न भूल जा ते हैं कि एक शक्ति शा ली सरका र की ना क के नी चे ला खों लो ग जहरीली हवा में सां स लेने को मजबूर हैं। कुछ साल पहले,ले जब दि ल्ली में ऐसा संकट आया था तो नी ति आयो ग, प्रधा नमंत्री का र्या लय और दि ल्ली मुख्यमंत्री का र्या लय आदि प्रदूषण-रोधी उपकरण स्था पि त करने वा लों में सबसेआगे थेलेकि न उन ला खों गरीब और मध्यम वर्ग के लो गों का क्या जो ऐसे जी वन रक्षक उपकरण खरीदने में सक्षम नहीं हैं? गो ल्फ लिं क, मो ती बा ग, न्यू फ्रेंड्स कॉ लो नी या जो र बाग में रहने वा ले रईस खर्च उठा सकते हैं लेकि न यह को ई समा धा न नहीं है। वा यु प्रदूषण की समस्या 1980 के दशक के अंत में शुरू हुई जब दि ल्ली की सड़कों पर डी जल वा हनों , मुख्य रूप से टैक्सि यों और ऑटो का बो लबा ला था । दि ल्ली और एनसीआर में ट्रैफि क का फी कम था लेकि न हवा प्रदूषि त थी. एक्यूआई जैसा शब्द या प्रदूषण को मा पने की मशी नें भी लगभग अनुपस्थि त थीं फि र 1998 में सुप्री म को र्ट द्वा रा नि युक्त भूरेला ल समि ति आई। यह बि गड़ती वा यु गुणवत्ता सेनि पटने के उपा य सुझा ती रही । लगभग 20 साल बा द, समि ति की सदस्य पर्या वरणवि द् सुनी ता ना रायण को सुनवा ई के दौ रान न्या या धी शों को दि खाने के लि ए वा यु गुणवत्ता मा पने का एक उपकरण सुप्रीम को र्ट में ले जा ना पड़ा कि शी र्ष अदा लत के संरक्षि त, वा ता नुकूलि त कमरों के भी तर हवा बेहद प्रदूषि त थी। दि ल्ली सरका र ने सम-वि षम नंबर प्लेट वा ली का रों को वैकल्पि क दि नों में सड़कों पर चलने की अनुमति देने का फॉ र्मूला आजमा या था कुछ वर्ष पूर्व इसने कुछ समा धा न प्रदा न कि या लेकि न चतुर भा रती यों और अमी र दि ल्ली वा सि यों ने सड़कों पर चलने के लि ए दो अलग-अलग का रों (दो स्तों और रि श्तेदा रों से बदली हुई) का उपयो ग करके इसेलगभग हरा दि या । डॉ क्टरों, स्कूली बच्चों , एकल महि ला और सरका री अधि का रि यों आदि को दी छूट ने एक प्रशंसि त यो जना की प्रभा वशी लता को कमजो र कि या ।अगर सुप्रीम को र्ट अनुमति देता है तो इसेइसी मही ने फि र सेला गू कर दि या जा एगा लेकि न क्या इससे राष्ट्री य राजधा नी के खांसते बूढ़ों और बच्चों को आराम मि लेगा ? शा यद नहीं ! दि ल्ली और एनसीआर को पर्या वरणी य चुनौ ति यों का लगा ता र सामना करना पड़ रहा है जो खराब शा सन से उत्पन्न हुई हैं:हैंयमुना प्रदूषि त ही है; कूड़े की सफा ई एक समस्या बनी हुई है; वा हनों का धुआं बढ़ रहा है, दो षपूर्ण शहरी नि यो जन के परि णा मस्वरूप शहरी बा ढ़ आती है और अरावली पर्वत श्रृंखला सुरक्षि त नहीं है। जब तक आम आदमी पा र्टी और भा जपा द्वा रा बहुत सख्त उपा य ला गू नहीं कि ए जा ते, दि ल्ली में नि र्दो ष भा रती यों की धी रे-धी रेमौ तें और भा रत की वि श्व भर में बदना मी जा री रहेगी । अकेले 2020 में, कथि त तौ र पर वा यु प्रदूषण से54,000 लो गों की मौ त हुई। क्या यह राजनेता ओं को चौं का ने वा ला आंकड़ा नहीं है?

Best of Both Sides: To combat pollution, use of personal vehicles must decrease

As a severe smog episode persists in Delhi and the National Capital Region, emergency action has been taken to not only restrict construction activities, waste burning, diesel generator sets, and industrial sources but also to restrain vehicle usage. This time too, in addition to restricting trucks, all Bharat Stage III (BSIII) vehicles and BSIV diesel vehicles have been taken off the road. Further restraints are proposed on the use of personal cars with a temporary odd-and-even scheme to regulate daily movement based on licence plate numbers. Such emergency measures are restrictive, but are needed to slow down the peaking of pollution and prevent a further dip in air quality. Yet, year after year, efforts to restrain vehicles provoke the sharpest public criticism. This is because of the crippling mobility crisis in the city. When faced with such measures, the gut reaction is to underplay the role of vehicles in the city’s air pollution. Official emissions inventories of 2018 show that vehicles emit about 40 per cent of the particulate load in the city. The Decision Support System of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune, which continuously estimates the relative contribution of sources to particulate concentration every hour, finds that vehicles can contribute more than half of the pollution among local sources; they can also be the second- or third-highest contributor if local and external sources of pollution are combined. Despite this evidence and knowledge, mitigation of vehicular emissions remains difficult. In the long-drawn pollution battle in the city, vehicles have always been the key target of action. Following a series of Supreme Court directives, Delhi has successfully reduced toxic diesel emissions over time by restricting truck entry and imposing a pollution charge on trucks, big diesel cars and SUVs and on diesel fuel, while leapfrogging to BSVI emission standards in 2020. The overall share of diesel car registration has dropped from more than 35 per cent in 2014-15 to 7.5 per cent in 2022-23. To add to this, the entire public transport and local commercial transport systems have been moved to compressed natural gas. Fleet electrification is also underway. This transition has successfully reduced transport diesel consumption by 46 per cent in the city between 2014 and 2022. Yet, emission improvement per unit of vehicle due to these advancements has been undercut by the cumulative emissions from explosive vehicle numbers and congestion. Even after phasing out older vehicles, the number of on-road vehicles is more than 80 lakh. Two-wheelers are 60 per cent of the fleet, but growth in car numbers remained bullish even during the pandemic, with a strong recovery at 47 per cent during 2022-23. With a staggering 280 lakh daily trips expected to be generated in the city, Delhi could collapse if a sizable shift to cars occurs without adequate public transportation. Personal automobile dependence has to be reduced; public transport needs to be augmented. The Delhi Master Plan target of 80 per cent of motorised trips by public transport by 2020 has not been met yet. The deadline has been shifted to 2041. Ironically, despite the increase in demand and growth in bus numbers to 7,041, against the Supreme Court-mandated 10,000 buses, the number of passengers carried per bus daily has dropped by an average of 48 per cent since 2017-18, as per the Delhi Economic Survey, 2022-23. While passenger numbers are down, the distance completed by buses each day has increased, leading to more empty kilometres. The Metro is gaining its pre-pandemic ridership now. Even though improvements are underway with the expansion of the electric bus fleet, revamping of bus infrastructure, route rationalisation, the One Delhi App, universal journey planner, real-time arrival information bus stops etc, these are not adding up for scalability. While more efforts are needed to make integrated public transport convenient, accessible and affordable for all, they won’t be adequate without strategies to simultaneously restrain personal vehicle usage. Largely free and uncontrolled parking and the absence of effective taxes on car usage and congestion pricing make personal vehicles comparatively cheaper to operate. This acts as a hidden subsidy for cars, while the journey costs of using public transport interchanges can be more expensive. Currently, the only available legal restraint measure for car usage is the notified parking rules requiring ward-wise parking management area plans and variable pricing. But these have not been implemented, having faced strong opposition despite the successful implementation of three pilots directed by the Supreme Court and subsequent directives for their city-wide implementation in 2019. The political will to tame the car has to get stronger to ensure a substantial shift to public transport. It is possible. About 60 per cent of Delhi’s urban area will be within a 15-minute walking distance from metro stations and about 80 per cent of Delhi residents will be within 400 metres of some metro station once the entire network is in place. Scalable integrated public transport services, feeders, a dense street network for walking and cycling, and more housing closer to the transit nodes can make a difference. But any scale of change will never be enough unless the demand for car usage is reduced with effective action. The writer is executive director, Research and Advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi

To mitigate pollution, cabs registered outside Delhi may be restricted from entering city

The Delhi government is likely to ban the entry of commercial cabs registered outside Delhi, into the Capital as part of the air pollution mitigation efforts, environment minister Gopal Rai said on Wednesday. Under the rules, which are yet to be notified, cabs registered outside Delhi, which operate through app-based aggregators such as Ola and Uber, will not be allowed to enter the city, along with diesel taxis including those conforming to BS6 emission norms. According to an official aware of the matter, there will only be clarity in the matter when an order is issued. “The order may be issued on Friday,” he said, requesting anonymity. A senior transport department official, however, said the department was also considering restricting rather than completely banning cabs because the move may lead to chaos. “The ban has been proposed during the period odd-even scheme may be in force. Rather than banning all cabs, the odd-even rule may apply to the outside cabs entering Delhi. The cabs registered in Delhi will be exempted from the rule,” the second official added. An industry person aware of the matter said all app-based cabs were CNG, and banning them would mean more private vehicles on the road. Uber, in an official statement, said, “While we haven’t received any order from the transport department, we want to reiterate that all the cars on Uber in Delhi are CNG or electric and shared mobility helps more people commute in fewer cars.” Ola did not respond to the development. Transport minister Kailash Gahlot said the department was equipped to implement a complete ban on such taxis. “The final decision would be taken based on the court’s suggestion,” he said. Rai said the Supreme Court wanted to know whether only taxis registered in Delhi can ply in Delhi as an additional measure to control the pollution. “We have asked the transport department to prepare a report regarding the possible impact of the ban on diesel taxis. It will be submitted in the court on Friday,” said Rai, adding that the Delhi government will increase the frequency of buses and Metro to ensure no inconvenience is caused. The period of the ban will likely be November 13-20, after which an extension will depend on the prevailing conditions. Experts said that the restrictions on vehicles can be used as an emergency measure to reduce traffic, toxic exposures and prevent additional loading of emissions. “As vehicles are the major contributors of pollution among the local and regional sources in Delhi, emergency action cannot ignore vehicles. Past studies have shown that such schemes can slow down the peaking of pollution, stabilise and even lower peak levels even when the atmospheric conditions are hostile,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy) at Centre for Science and Environment.