• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Vision for urban transportation headlines mobility conference

Transportation bodies from Navi Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, and Delhi bagged an award each for ‘Excellence in Urban Transport’ at the 15th Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference and Expo which concluded in Kochi on Sunday. Powered By VDO.AI Kochi Metro Rail Limited’s exhibit, which was put up at the three-day event organised to discuss the way forward regarding urban transportation in the country, was adjudged the best. While Ahmedabad was awarded for being the city with the most sustainable transport system for its Ahmedabad Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS), Navi Mumbai bagged the award for the city with the best public transport system for its modernised and sustainable city bus service. Under the same category, the commendation award went to Thiruvananthapuram for its planned public transport through city services. The Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. bagged the award for having a metro rail with the best multimodal integration for the Lucknow Metro Rail Project and a commendation award under the same category went to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. Kolkata was adjudged the city with the best non-motorised transport system for its cycling infrastructure in the new town Kolkata project while Chennai bagged the award for the best Intelligent Transport System (ITS); the award for the metro rail with the best passenger services and satisfaction went to Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. Union Minister of State for Housing & Urban Affairs, Kaushal Kishore said new suggestions and thoughts were required to carry the urban transport sector forward. The Minister added that for the country to develop, it was essential that its cities developed which in turn would ensure that the development is spread to rural areas. Mr. Kishore said that for achieving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of becoming a developed country by 2047, it was essential that all sectors including agriculture, health and technology developed. The last day of the event also saw a panel discussion on the vision for urban transportation in India by the year 2047. Focusing on the way forward given rapid urbanisation, the panel discussed issues related to urban mobility over the next 25 years. The panel was of the opinion that any step forward in this respect needed to focus on better connectivity between smaller cities keeping net zero carbon emission modes of transportation at the core. In addition to exploring modes of transportation over and above electric vehicles in the near future, the need to create metro rail networks specific to Indian needs in addition to metro rail and railway coaches manufactured in India for the country and beyond was also discussed. Moderated by OSD (Urban Transport), Union Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, Jaideep; Anumita Roy Chowdhary, executive director research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE); Abhishek Agarwal, senior specialist (infrastructure connectivity), Niti Aayog; Subhash Dhar, senior researcher, UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre; Mukund Kumar Sinha, transport specialist, ADB; Sarika Chakravarty, senior sector coordinator, shelter & transport National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA); and Abhay Bhakre, DG, Bureau of Energy Efficiency were part of the panel. Senior officials from the Central and State governments, policymakers, managing directors of metro rail companies, chief executives of transport undertakings, international experts, professionals, academicians, and students participated in the three-day event. The conference was organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in collaboration with the Government of Kerala on the theme– ‘Azadi@75–Sustainable Aatma Nirbhar Urban Mobility’.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

What is airshed management? And can it be used to curb air pollution in India?

The Indian government is moving to a new way of dealing with air pollution which recognises that the problem does not respect political borders. In 2019, air pollution in India caused the premature deaths of more than a million people. That same year, the government established the National Clean Air Programme. Three years later, the National Clean Air Programme is widely described as ineffective, and India continues to rank among the top five most polluted countries in the world. Now, scientists are looking at a different approach to tackling the country’s toxic air, one based on the recognition that pollution transcends national and state borders. The National Clean Air Programme was formulated to tackle air pollution in cities, specifically to reduce particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution by 20%-30% from 2017 levels by 2024. But the nature of air pollution means there are limitations to a policy that focuses on urban areas. Air pollution is not restricted to geopolitical boundaries,” points out SN Tripathi, professor of civil engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur and a member of the National Clean Air Programme steering committee. South Asia’s geography and weather patterns mean that pollutants can travel long distances: a 2020 study of 22 regions showed that 46% of air pollution (adjusted for population distribution) originates from another Indian state. “Because of the transboundary dispersion of air pollution, smaller towns that do not have as many polluting industries experience high levels of pollution that come from larger cities,” says Kalyani Tembhe, programme officer at the Centre for Science and Environment, a think-tank in New Delhi. “Air pollution depends on meteorology, topography and land-use patterns,” Tripathi agrees. Because of this, Indian states are looking at new ways to tackle the crisis, with many planning to adopt airshed management. The World Bank defines an airshed as a common geographic area where pollutants get trapped, creating similar air quality for everyone. “We can reorganise…natural processes that govern the air, and identify airsheds,” Tripathi says. The concept is demonstrated by a 2019 study that found approximately half of the population-weighted PM2.5 in Delhi comes from outside the territory, of which 50% is from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. In Punjab, about 60% of PM2.5 does not originate within the state, with about half coming from outside India and half from other Indian states. In Uttar Pradesh, only half of PM2.5 originates within the state. Sagnik Dey, a professor at the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences at IIT Delhi, has identified the major regional airsheds that impact India, based on satellite data for PM2.5. “The whole idea is that, within an airshed, the overall patterns of air quality from season to season are similar over the long term. There are nine to 11 airsheds in India. Some, like the Indo-Gangetic plain airshed, within which lie two or more regional airsheds, are gigantic,” he says. The Indo-Gangetic plain covers the states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Bihar and West Bengal, and extends to Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan. How it works The idea of airsheds is not new. The Canadian province of British Columbia and California in the US have both used an airshed approach to tackle air pollution. The Air Quality Act of 1967 divided California into 35 districts with similar geographic, topographic and meteorological conditions, where pollution is regulated by the California Air Resources Board. By 2019, this approach had achieved a 98% reduction in emissions from “heavy-duty engines” compared with 2010 levels. In South Asia, the areas with critically high PM2.5 concentrations that would benefit from an airshed approach include the western and central Indo-Gangetic plain, the Brahmaputra basin (India and Bangladesh), middle India (East Gujarat/West Maharashtra and Odisha/Chhattisgarh), the northern and central subcontinent (Pakistani and Indian Punjab and part of Afghanistan) and the southern subcontinent (South Pakistan and West Afghanistan). PM2.5 concentrations in villages and small towns in the Indo-Gangetic Plain are often similar to or higher than the nearest large city, indicating that air-quality management cannot be restricted to cities. “These towns do not have any control over the pollution in their jurisdiction. That is why we need an airshed approach to air-quality management. We need a legal policy to ensure that cities take responsibility,” Tembhe says. “The idea is that all cities that lie within an airshed need to coordinate with each other for an effective solution,” Dey adds. “For example, 80% of the airsheds of Lucknow and Kanpur [in Uttar Pradesh] overlap. Similarly, Dhanbad [in Jharkhand] and Asansol [in West Bengal] have a very big overlap in their airshed. So they will benefit by sharing their resources and data.” Now, the World Bank is developing the country’s first large Airshed Action Plan for the Indo-Gangetic plain, across seven union territories and states. The Indo-Gangetic plain is one of the most polluted areas in the country, contributing to 46% of premature deaths. “The World Bank is supporting a team of Indian experts who have applied several internationally adopted models, including Greenhouse Gas - Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies in Europe, North America and China,” says Karin Shepardson, lead environmental specialist at the World Bank. “Now we are helping Indian partners to tailor it to local conditions in the states on the Indo-Gangetic Plain, particularly the development of air action plans in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar using an airshed management approach.” Greenhouse gas and Air pollution Interactions and Synergies, and refers to a model used to assess strategies that combat air pollution and climate change at the same time. How the technical model is ultimately translated into airsheds for management purposes is something the government has to decide, says Shepardson. The government is yet to define airsheds for India and the process is still being deliberated. Uttar Pradesh However, some states feel urgent action is required. Uttar Pradesh is the first to adopt an airshed action plan. Speaking at the India Clean Air Summit in Bangalore in August, Ashish Tiwari, the secretary of the Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of Uttar Pradesh, announced that, with the World Bank’s help, the state has identified clean cooking as the most cost-effective intervention, based on the Greenhouse Gas - Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies model. The state plans to distribute 1,00,000 free stoves and electric tandoors to restaurants and eateries.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Anti-pollution Plans Go Up In Smoke

Supreme Court’s ban on use of firecrackers was flouted at will across cities Delhi-National Capital Region recording 'severe' air pollution levels has once again reignited the debate on the issue that grips the country every year post Diwali. Rahul Malik, 27 started coughing a day after Diwali, his condition has remained the same days later. "It happens to me every time after Diwali. I woke up next with a terrible cold and cough," he said. While some areas in Delhi were in the 'severe' category, NCR regions like Noida were not far behind. "It has become a year-round phenomenon now," said Malik, who is a software engineer in a Delhi based organisation. While there are many reasons for the bad air condition in Delhi-NCR, bursting of crackers triggers the onset of a pollution that goes throughout winters. Like last year, the Supreme Court banned the use of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR, this year the apex court ordered restricting the bursting of firecrackers to two hours (8 pm to 10 pm) and mandated 'green crackers'. However, all the measures were ineffective. In fact, the order was flouted at will across cities, with crackers being burst through the day and well into the night, throwing both air and noise pollution norms to the wind. Neither was the 'green cracker' label strictly adhered to. Even in Delhi, where burning of crackers is punishable with a jail term and fine, the law was violated with impunity. Although reports stating that Delhi experienced its cleanest day after Diwali in seven years, the situation escalated badly within a week. By the end of last week, the air quality in Delhi and various parts of India had taken a massive dip. On the other hand, politics over stubble burning has already started, as farmers have started getting fined due to it. So far, Punjab has reported 1,842 cases of stubble burning on Tuesday, for which the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress are blaming the Aam Aadmi Party's government. In Ludhiana district, the government has so far imposed Rs 2.47 lakh in fines on farmers who burnt crop residue. Besides, 79 'red entries' have also been made in revenue records. Once a red entry is made in revenue records, a farmer may not be able to mortgage or sell the land. The BJP has targeted the AAP government over the rising stubble burning cases and asked it to wake up from its "deep slumber". Stubble burning is always named as one of the major factors for pollution in Delhi-NCR, barring it is not a major reason for air pollution in Punjab, where it is happening. The practice has been formally banned by the Supreme Court, and farmers were warned they would face fines for violating the decree. "I find it funny when they blame us for pollution in Delhi. We are literally there on the field doing this. While the pollution levels in Punjab remain fine. It is all political chaos," a Ludhiana based farmer told The Citizen. Stubble burning cannot be fully ruled out as a pollution driving factor, however, experts believe blaming it as the sole reason for it is wrong. The NCR's pollution problem is due to various other reasons including emissions from tailpipes of vehicles, industrial activities and geographical factors such as wind speeds. Winds blowing at around 6-7 kmph on Diwali checked the accumulation of pollutants on the festival day. There are also early indications of a decrease in farm fires in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The court has also come down hard on states as well as central governments over the issue and despite stringent measures, the situation does not improve. While stubble burning is one of the reasons for air pollution, vehicular emissions are also considered a major pollutant factor in Delhi-NCR. In 2021, the Supreme Court warned of strict action and had given a 24-hour ultimatum to centre, Delhi, and neighbouring states to act against industrial and vehicular pollution. This was counted as the main causes behind the deteriorating air quality. This year, however, the AAP government in Delhi has blamed buses from Uttar Pradesh for vehicular emissions. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal has blamed the vehicular emissions from government buses operating in Uttar Pradesh for the rise in pollution in the national capital. According to a 2021 survey by the Centre for Science and Environment, a New Delhi-based research and advocacy organisation, emissions from two-, three- and four-wheeled vehicles account for more than half of Delhi's particulate pollution. "Clearly, after the closure of all coal-based power plants, expansion of natural gas usage in industry and controls on dirty fuels, vehicles have emerged as the biggest real time contributor among the local sources of winter pollution in Delhi this year. Action on transportation has to gather strong momentum. At the same time, action on waste management, clean energy access in households, and dust control must be speeded up," stated Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director-research and advocacy, CSE. The Delhi government, now, is following a Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to combat air pollution in the city. Under the plan, construction activities are banned at stage three — when the air quality hits the "severe" level. It envisions a four-stage ad-hoc mechanism wherein Stage 1 of GRAP is activated when the AQI is in the 'poor' category (201 to 300), while the second, third and fourth stages are activated three days ahead of the AQI reaching the 'very poor' category (301 to 400), 'severe' category (401 to 450) and 'severe +' category (above 450) respectively. The origin of the GRAP dates back to the 2016 Supreme Court verdict, where state authorities were directed to take gradual steps to maintain the air quality standards in the Delhi NCR. Air quality monitoring and meteorological forecasts are based on data from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) and the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Following a modification in 2020, the GRAP now focuses on a more comprehensive AQI, which accounts for other pollutants such as ozone, sulphur dioxide, and oxides of nitrogen as well. Furthermore, till 2020, the Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority (EPCA) implemented the plan, but this was dissolved two years ago and the responsibility to enforce the GRAP now rests with the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM). Meanwhile, in July this year the National Human Rights Commission has issued a notice to the Union Environment Ministry over the impact of air pollution on the life expectancy of people. In a statement, the NHRC said it has taken motu cognizance of media reports quoting a survey that air pollution is a great threat to human health in India, reducing overall life expectancy by five years and 9.7 years for the people in Delhi. It has also issued notice to the Secretary of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, seeking a report within four weeks, including the status of the National Clean Air Programme, launched in 2019. The commission also expects the state authorities to take the issue with utmost sincerity in a time-bound manner, the statement said. While the Supreme Court churns into action every year when the air pollution reaches dangerous levels, the situation is far from better.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

उत्तर भारत में बढ़ता वायु प्रदूषण और तकनीकी विशेषज्ञों की कमी से जूझते प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड: रिपोर्ट

सेंटर फॉर पॉलिसी रिसर्च (सीपीआर)की एक रिपोर्ट बताती है कि भारत के सिंधु-गंगा मैदानी इलाकों के प्रदेशों में अधिकांश प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड कर्मचारियों की कमी से जूझ रहे हैं। इस रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है कि आठ में से सात बोर्ड में 40% से अधिक तकनीकी कर्मचारियों के पद खाली है। बिहार, हरियाणा और झारखंड जैसे राज्यों में तकनीकी कर्मचारियों की सबसे अधिक कमी है। झारखंड में यह रिक्तियां सबसे ज्यादा 84% तक दर्ज की गई। विशेषज्ञों का कहना है कि ऐसी स्थिति में देश में प्रदूषण नियंत्रण के कार्यक्रमों के लक्ष्यों को पाना मुश्किल हो सकता है। इस साल एक नवम्बर को देश की राजधानी नई दिल्ली पूरी तरह से प्रदूषित जहरीली हवा के चंगुल में दिखी। इस दिन इस साल के वायु प्रदूषण के सारे रिकॉर्ड टूट गए जब शहर में वायु गुणवत्ता सूचकांक (एक्यूआई) 424 (बहुत खराब) तक जा पहुंचा। यह दिल्ली या उत्तर भारत के कई राज्यों के लिए सर्दियों में आम बात है। सर्दियों में इस तरह के वायु प्रदूषण से जूझने वाले अधिकांश राज्य देश के सिंधु-गंगा के मैदानों के इलाकों में आने वाले राज्यों में से हैं। सर्दी के मौसम में जब प्रदूषण की मात्रा बढ़ जाती है तब कई राज्य कुछ त्वरित कदम उठाते दिखते हैं। इसका एक उदाहरण इस वक्त दिल्ली में देखने को मिल रहा है। इस महीने दिल्ली सरकार ने निर्माण कार्यों को प्रदूषण के मद्देनजर बंद करा दिया। साथ ही दिल्ली के सभी प्राथमिक स्कूल भी प्रदूषण के कारण बंद कर दिये गए हैं। गुलाबी सर्दी की शुरुआत के साथ देशभर में प्रदूषण की समस्या गंभीर हो रही है। ऐसी स्थिति में प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड की भूमिका काफी महत्वपूर्ण हो जाती है। राज्यों में स्थित प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड (एसपीसीबी) का काम प्रदूषण पर लगाम लगाने के साथ उसे रोकने के लिए दीर्घकालिक उपाय करने का भी। लेकिन उत्तर भारत के कई राज्यों के बोर्ड खस्ताहाल हैं। सेंटर फॉर पॉलिसी रिसर्च (सीपीआर) ने अक्टूबर 2022 में एक रिपोर्ट जारी कर बताया कि देश के बहुत से ऐसे राज्यों में प्रदूषण नियंत्रण संस्थान कर्मचारियों की किल्लत झेल रहे हैं। इस रिपोर्ट में देश के सिंधु-गंगा के मैदानी इलाकों के नौ प्रदेशों और एक केंद्र शासित प्रदेश (दिल्ली) का अध्ययन किया गया है। इन राज्यों में पंजाब, हरियाणा, उत्तर प्रदेश, उत्तराखंड, बिहार, झारखंड और पश्चिम बंगाल हैं। इस पूरे सिंधु-गंगा के मैदानी इलाके में अक्सर भारी प्रदूषण दर्ज किया जाता है। पर्यावरण और वन मंत्रालय के दस्तावेजों के अनुसार भारत के सिंधु-गंगा के मैदानी इलाकों के शहरों में वायु प्रदूषण के प्रमुख प्रदूषक-पार्टिकुलेट मैटर (पीएम) की सघनता देश के दक्षिण भारत या दूसरी जगहों से अधिक है। सीपीआर की रिपोर्ट कहती है कि देश के इन 10 प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्डों (एसपीसीबी) में कर्मचारियों, मुख्यतः तकनीकी विशेषज्ञों, की कमी; सरकारी पृष्ठभूमि के अफसरों का उच्च पदों पर वर्चस्व और वायु गुणवत्ता के प्रबंधन के लिए विशेषज्ञों की कमी इन सभी बोर्ड के पूर्ण क्षमता पर काम करने में बाधा डाल रहे हैं। रेलवे साइडिंग से सटी एक प्रदूषित सड़क जहां गाड़ियों में कोयले लदे हैं। तस्वीर- मनीष कुमार / मोंगाबे रेलवे साइडिंग से सटी एक प्रदूषित सड़क जहां गाड़ियों में कोयले लदे हैं। तस्वीर- मनीष कुमार / मोंगाबे प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड का गठन जल (प्रदूषण की रोकथाम और नियंत्रण) अधिनियम 1974 के अंतर्गत हुआ था लेकिन धीरे-धीरे इसके उद्देश्यों में वायु प्रदूषण, ध्वनि प्रदूषण पर नियंत्रण, प्लास्टिक कचरे का निपटान, शहरी कचरा का निपटान और इलेक्ट्रॉनिक कचरे का नियंत्रण जैसे कार्यों को भी जोड़ दिया गया। एसपीसीबी राज्यों की एक स्वायत्त संस्था है। इन्हें उद्योगों को प्रदूषण के मानकों पर आकलन करने, उद्योगों के लिए सही उत्सर्जन और कचरे के प्रवाह के लिए मानक तय करने का अधिकार है। यह प्रदूषण के नियमों और मानकों का उल्लंघन करने वाले उद्योगों को दंडित भी कर सकते हैं। सीपीआर की इस रिपोर्ट में राज्य प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्डों के गठन, चेयरमैन, मेंबर सेक्रेटरी के चयन, बोर्ड के अलग-अलग विभाग के कर्मचारियों की समीक्षा आदि का अध्ययन किया गया। तकनीकी विशेषज्ञों की कमी सीपीआर की यह रिपोर्ट कहती है कि आठ में से सात एसपीसीबी में 40% से ज्यादा तकनीकी कर्मचारियों की रिक्तियां देखी गईं। बिहार, हरियाणा और झारखंड जैसे राज्यों में तकनीकी कर्मचारियों की सबसे ज्यादा कमी देखी गई। झारखंड में यह रिक्तियां सबसे ज्यादा 84% तक दर्ज की गईं। तकनीकी कर्मचारियों में एनवायरनमेंट इंजीनियर और वैज्ञानिक होते हैं। यह रिपोर्ट कहती है कि इन बोर्डों में सरकारी अफसरों और राजनीतिक पृष्ठभूमि वाले लोगों का दबदबा होता है जबकि आम नागरिक, शिक्षा और जन स्वास्थ्य के विशेषज्ञों की भागीदारी अक्सर कम होती है। नियमों के अनुसार वायु गुणवत्ता के प्रबंधन के लिए इन बोर्डों में कम से कम दो विशेषज्ञ होने चाहिए जो बहुत से बोर्ड में नहीं देखा गया। “इस बोर्डों के सदस्यों में अक्सर उद्योग, नगर निगम जैसे क्षेत्र, जो सक्षम प्रदूषण करने वाले हैं, के लोग होते हैं। जब ऐसे लोग इस बोर्ड में हों, तो हितों के टकराव वाली स्थिति कभी भी खड़ी हो सकती है। वहीं दूसरी तरफ, प्रदूषण के मामलों के तकनीकी जानकार जो इन समस्याओं का समाधान लाने में सक्षम हैं, उनकी भागीदारी इन बोर्डों में अक्सर कम देखने को मिलती है,” सीपीआर में काम कर रही फेलो शिबानी घोष ने मोंगाबे-हिन्दी को बताया। एसपीसीबी के चेयरमैन और मेंबर सेक्रेटरी के चयन को लेकर सीपीआर की रिपोर्ट कहती है कि इन दोनों पदों के लिए अक्सर ऐसे लोगों का चयन किया जाता है जो पहले किसी सरकारी नौकरी में रह चुके हों। इसके अलावा यह दोनों पद कई राज्यों में एक अतिरिक्त नियुक्ति के तौर पर दिए जाते हैं जहां एसपीसीबी के चेयरमैन और मेंबर सेक्रेटरी को एसपीसीबी के अलावा दूसरे विभागों की जिम्मेदारी भी लेनी पड़ती है। विभिन्न राज्यों के प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्डों में तकनीकी विशेषज्ञों (इंजीनियरों और वैज्ञानिकों) की ताकत। सेंटर फॉर पॉलिसी रिसर्च द्वारा भारत के प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड के राज्य की रिपोर्ट से फोटो। विभिन्न राज्यों के प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्डों में तकनीकी विशेषज्ञों (इंजीनियरों और वैज्ञानिकों) की संख्या। डेटा- सेंटर फॉर पॉलिसी रिसर्च इस रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है कि कई प्रदेशों में चेयरमैन के कार्यकाल की अवधि भी अलग-अलग होती है। ऐसे में एसपीसीबी के चेयरमैन को बहुत सी नीतियों को कार्यान्वित करने के लिए समुचित समय नहीं मिल पाता है। कम अवधि के लिए पद पर रहने वाले चेयरमैन को दीर्घकालिक योजनाओं पर काम करने में भी दिक्कत आ सकती है। रिपोर्ट में यह भी कहा गया है कि आंचलिक (रीजनल) प्रदूषण बोर्ड के ऑफिस में भी कर्मचारियों की कमी है। ऐसा पाया गया कि कुछ आंचलिक कार्यालयों में सिर्फ एक या दो एनवायरनमेंट इंजीनियर की ही नियुक्ति है। ऐसी स्थिति में इन अफसरों पर काम का बोझ बढ़ता है। इन कार्यालयों में प्रति एनवायरनमेंट इंजीनियर सालाना करीब 800 प्रदूषण संबंधी स्वीकृतियां प्रदान की गईं जो इन अफसरों पर बढ़ते बोझ को दर्शाता है। वर्ष 2020-21 में आंचलिक (रीजनल) प्रदूषण बोर्ड के कार्यालयों में प्रति एनवायरनमेंट इंजीनियर औसतन 200 अनुमतियां प्रदान की गईं। सीपीआर की शिबानी घोष ने बताया कि इस रिपोर्ट के लिए सूचना के अधिकार के माध्यम से अलग अलग राज्यों से कर्मचारियों की क्षमता, बोर्ड के सदस्यों की योग्यता आदि के आंकड़ों का संग्रह किया। साथ ही सार्वजनिक आंकड़ों, साक्षात्कार और इस विषय में संसदीय रिपोर्ट और अन्य रिपोर्ट का भी अध्ययन किया गया। एसपीसीबी पर ध्यान देने के क्यों है जरूरत? भारत में हर साल वायु गुणवत्ता सूचकांक का हानिकारक स्तर पर जाना एक वार्षिक घटना बनता जा रहा है। सर्दियों में बहुत से उत्तर भारतीय शहरों में प्रदूषण का प्रकोप बढ़ जाता है और उसका प्रतिकूल असर जन स्वास्थ्य पर भी पड़ता है। एक अध्ययन के अनुसार देश में हर साल होने वाली मौतों में से 17.8% मौतें वायु प्रदूषण के कारण होती हैं। प्रदूषण महिलाओं और नवजात बच्चों पर भी बुरा असर डालता है। इस साल प्रकाशित हुए एक शोध के अनुसार पीएम 2.5 के अधिक सघन होने और इसके संपर्क में आने से नवजात बच्चों की मौतों के मामले अधिक देखने को मिलते हैं। एक और अध्ययन ने बताया है कि सिर्फ दिल्ली में 2020 में वायु प्रदूषण के कारण 54,000 अकाल मृत्यु हुई। एक और अध्ययन में वायु प्रदूषण और किशोरियों में एनीमिया (खून की कमी) के बढ़ते मामलों में भी संबंध पाया। विशेषज्ञों का कहना है कि अब समय आ गया है जब अलग-अलग एसपीसीबी को प्रदूषण की समस्या से निपटने के लिए साथ में आकर आंचलिक प्लान बनाने और एक दूसरे के साथ काम करने के जरूरत पड़ेगी। अनुमिता रॉय चौधरी, सेंटर फॉर साइन्स एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) में एग्जीक्यूटिव निदेशक हैं। उनका कहना है कि सीपीआर की इस रिपोर्ट ने एसपीसीबी में मौजूद कमियों को उजागर किया है। यह इस बात को दर्शाता है कि इन संस्थानों में अब कुछ सुधार की जरूरत है। चौधरी ने प्रदूषण से बेहतर तरीके से निपटने के लिए अलग-अलग राज्यों के बीच परस्पर सहयोग की बात भी कही। राज्य प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्डों की संरचना । तस्वीर- सेंटर फॉर पॉलिसी रिसर्च राज्य प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्डों की संरचना । तस्वीर- सेंटर फॉर पॉलिसी रिसर्च “सामान्यतः राज्य सरकार प्रदूषण को रोकने के लिए शहरों के लिए नीति तैयार करती है लेकिन प्रदूषण राज्यों और शहरों की सीमाएं नहीं समझता है। कई बार ऐसी नीतियों में दूसरे पड़ोसी राज्यों से आने वाले प्रदूषण का सही आकलन नहीं होता है। अतः हमें एक व्यापक रीजनल एक्शन प्लान बनाने की जरूरत है जहां अलग-अलग राज्यों के एसपीसीबी साथ आकर समाधान ढूंढें। इसी तरह का एक प्रयास दिल्ली और आसपास के राज्यों में लगभग एक साल पहले हुआ है जिसके अंतर्गत कमीशन फॉर एयर क्वालिटी मैनेजमेंट (सीएक्यूएम) का गठन हुआ,” चौधरी ने मोंगाबे-हिन्दी को बताया। भारतीय प्रौद्योगिकी संस्थान (आईआईटी), बॉम्बे में सहायक प्रोफेसर अजय देशपांडे ने बताया कि इन संस्थानों में बहुत सी समस्याएं हैं जिनमें से एक समस्या मानकों को तय करने को लेकर है। उनका कहना है कि मानक बनाने का अधिकार एसपीसीबी के पास है लेकिन बहुत से एसपीसीबी इस काम को नहीं करते। सीपीआर की यह रिपोर्ट इकलौती ऐसी रिपोर्ट नहीं है जिसने राज्यों में चल रहे एसपीसीबी के हालातों पर प्रश्न उठाए हैं। एक संसदीय कमेटी की रिपोर्ट ने भी राज्यों में स्थित एसपीसीबी में मौजूद समस्याओं पर प्रकाश डाला था। संसद की इस रिपोर्ट में कहा गया था कि देश में प्रदूषण की निगरानी के लिए लगाए गए 332 केन्द्रों में से बहुतों ने काम करना बंद कर दिया है जबकि कुछ जगहों पर इनके द्वारा भेजे गए आंकड़ों का संकलन ठीक से नहीं किया जाता है। और पढ़ेंः कम हो रही जानलेवा सल्फर डाइऑक्साइड के बढ़ने की रफ्तार, प्रदूषण नियमों में और सख्ती की जरूरत विशेषज्ञों का कहना है कि ऐसी स्थिति में देश में प्रदूषण नियंत्रण के लिए लक्ष्य को प्राप्त करना मुश्किल है। भारत सरकार ने राष्ट्रीय स्वच्छ वायु कार्यक्रम (एनसीएपी) के अंतर्गत देश में हानिकारक वायु प्रदूषक – पीएम2.5 और पीएम10 को 2024 तक 20-30% तक कम करने का लक्ष्य रखा है। जब यह पूछा गया कि क्या ऐसी स्थिति में इस लक्ष्य को पाया जा सकता है तब सीएसई की चौधरी ने मोंगाबे-हिन्दी को बताया, “जब हम सही सुधार चाहते हैं तो हमें अपने संस्थानों को और मजबूत बनाने की जरूरत है। हमें इन संस्थाओं को और मजबूत बनाने के लिए इनकी तकनीकी दक्षता को बढ़ाने की जरूरत है। यह बात सीपीआर की रिपोर्ट के मुख्य सुझाव में भी शामिल है।”

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We’ll need binding promises for climate action to work

While climate chaos gallops ahead, climate action is stalled," said United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres at a recent speech to mark the release of a report called Emissions Gap 2022 (EG-2022). Climate chaos ran amok in 2022. Hurricane Ian in Florida, a summer of record temperatures in Europe, unprecedented floods in China and Pakistan, widespread floods in Central and West Africa, and a year-long drought in China have been only some of the main disasters. Climate disasters to date include 14 severe weather events, six floods, five droughts, three tropical cyclones and a windstorm. A report from the Centre for Science and Environment says that India clocked extreme-weather impacts on a startling 88% of the 273 days this year until the end of September. The cost in terms of lives and property is mounting. At least 16,000 people died in the European heatwave and now over 2,000 have perished in Pakistan’s floods. An estimate of economic costs is difficult to make so soon, but it is likely to cross $500 billion this year when the final bills for Hurricane Ian are counted. Insurance costs, already skyrocketing due to high inflation, the pandemic and burdens of the Ukraine conflict, are poised to rise even further, with record reinsurance claims being presented. With reinsurance companies coming under such pressure, the very structure of the reinsurance industry may require governments to step in as insurers ‘of last resort’.

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Climate-vulnerable India struck by natural disasters 'almost daily'

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a public interest research and advocacy organisation, said that extreme weather struck India on 241 of 273 days from January to October 1. Together the disasters claimed 2,755 lives, affected 1.8 million hectares of crops, destroyed 416,667 houses and killed 69,007 livestock. Severe damage Released ahead of the 27th Conference of the Parties (Cop27) climate summit that opens this weekend in Egypt, the report underscored that India is suffering severe damage due to the climate crisis. “This is the watermark of climate change. It is not about a single event but about the increased frequency of the events – that what we saw as the one-in-100-years extreme event has now been compressed to become one in five years or even less,” said CSE’s director general Sunita Narain. Climate pledges still 'nowhere near' enough to limit rising temperature to 1.5C Storms, floods and fires: Have planetary conditions really become more extreme? Being both a climate-vulnerable as well as a high-emitting country, experts say India occupies a unique position around the global climate policy negotiating table. About 80 percent of India’s population live in regions highly vulnerable to extreme disasters like severe flooding or heatwaves. “Worse, it is now all coming together – each month is breaking a new record. This in turn is breaking the backs of the poorest who are worst impacted and are fast losing their capacities to cope with these repeated and frequent events,” Narain said. A man walks across a dry river bed amid a heatwave in New Delhi in May 2022. A man walks across a dry river bed amid a heatwave in New Delhi in May 2022. AP - Manish Swarup Economic losses According to the 2022 Climate Transparency Report (CTR), released last month by a partnership of climate analysis organisations in G20 countries, India's losses were highest in four sectors: services, manufacturing, agriculture and construction. “Losses to earnings from heat-related labour capacity reduction were the highest in India among G20 nations in 2021,” said the CTR analysis. India’s food security and economy to be impacted by climate change: IPCC Loss of potential income in the services, manufacturing, agriculture and construction sectors last year cost India 5.4 percent of its GDP, ahead of Indonesia (1.6 percent) and Saudi Arabia (1 percent). Heat exposure in India led to the loss of 167 billion potential labour hours in 2021, a 39 percent increase from the decade between 1990 and 1999. And at 3°C of warming, the exposure to heatwaves will increase to almost 30 percent of India's population, the report said. Climate funds for developing countries? Climate finance remains a major source of contention within the group of the world’s major advanced and developing economies. A key issue for India at Cop27 will be how to finance both adapting to climate change and limiting fossil fuel emissions. India wants the $100 billion-a-year pledge of climate funds for developing countries, a promise made in 2009 that hasn’t yet been fulfilled despite being two years past its deadline. Climate and debt crises converge for half of the world's poorest Will climate justice be yet another victim of the energy crisis? “New Delhi should vocalize its support for climate finance and energy transition at the summit. According to the CTR report, India is the only G20 nation achieving its climate mitigation commitments in the Paris Accords without external support,” said Phalak Vyas, who researches international relations at Pandit Deendayal Energy University. “India has successfully improved its renewable energy usage and can use its experience to act as a bridge between the G20 and developing nations.” India will soon begin its one-year-long tenure as head of the G20, starting in December 2022 until November 2023. India’s foreign ministry has indicated that India’s presidency will focus on climate finance, energy security and green hydrogen in the energy sector.

• Down To Earth

Climate-vulnerable India struck by natural disasters 'almost daily'

India recorded extreme weather events nearly every day in the first nine months of the year, according to a new report, including heatwaves, cold waves, cyclones, lightning, heavy rainfall, floods and landslides. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a public interest research and advocacy organisation, said that extreme weather struck India on 241 of 273 days from January to October 1. Together the disasters claimed 2,755 lives, affected 1.8 million hectares of crops, destroyed 416,667 houses and killed 69,007 livestock. Severe damage Released ahead of the 27th Conference of the Parties (Cop27) climate summit that opens this weekend in Egypt, the report underscored that India is suffering severe damage due to the climate crisis. “This is the watermark of climate change. It is not about a single event but about the increased frequency of the events – that what we saw as the one-in-100-years extreme event has now been compressed to become one in five years or even less,” said CSE’s director general Sunita Narain.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

किसानों को जागरूक करने की जरूरत, उन्हें पराली का विकल्प मुहैया कराना होगा: विवेक चट्टोपाध्याय

राजधानी दिल्ली और आसपास के इलाके पिछले कुछ वर्षों की तरह एक बार फिर ‘‘गैस चैंबर’’ में तब्दील हो चुके हैं। जहरीली हवा ने लोगों का जीना मुहाल कर दिया है लेकिन राजनीतिक दल एक-दूसरे पर दोषारोपण की नूरा-कुश्ती में मशगूल हैं। इन्हीं सब मुद्दों पर वायु गुणवत्ता विशेषज्ञ और नयी दिल्ली स्थित ‘सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट’ के स्वच्छ वायु कार्यक्रम से जुड़े वरिष्ठ कार्यक्रम प्रबंधक विवेक चट्टोपाध्याय से भाषा के पांच सवाल और उनके जवाब: सवाल: दिल्ली और आसपास का इलाका एक बार फिर ‘‘गैस चैंबर’’ में तब्दील हो चुका है। हर साल यही स्थिति होती है। लाखों रुपये खर्च होते हैं लेकिन नतीजा ढाक के तीन पात। क्या कहेंगे आप? जवाब: इसका प्रमुख कारण यह है कि दिल्ली में तकरीबन 1.4 करोड़ गाड़ियां हैं और कई सारे उद्योग हैं। राष्ट्रीय राजधानी का यह क्षेत्र एक आर्थिक हब बन गया है। निर्माण कार्य यहां सालों भर चलते हैं और कूड़ा जलाया जाना यहां आम बात है। ये सब एक बड़ी समस्या बनती जा रही है क्योंकि इसका प्रबंधन ठीक से नहीं हो रहा है। इन चीजों की वजह से दिल्ली और एनसीआर क्षेत्र पर खुद का जो प्रदूषण का भार है, वह बहुत ज्यादा होता है। अब ऊपर से पराली जलाई जाती है। इससे स्थिति और गंभीर हो जाती है। इस समय मौसम भी प्रतिकूल रहता है। सवाल: पंजाब और हरियाणा में पराली जलाया जाना भी दिल्ली-एनसीआर में प्रदूषण का बड़ा कारक है। आप क्या कहेंगे? जवाब: हमें यह समझना होगा कि किसान पराली जलाते क्यों है? हमें इसका उपाय करना होगा। सरकार द्वारा पराली को खत्म करने के लिए राज्यों को जो मशीन दी जाती हैं उनका इस्तेमाल हो रहा है या नहीं हो रहा है और नहीं हो रहा है तो क्यों नहीं हो रहा है। इस पर निगरानी आवश्यक है। इसके लिए अगर पंचायत स्तर पर सहयोग की आवश्यकता पड़ती है तो किसानों को यह मदद दी जानी चाहिए। साथ ही किसानों को पराली न जलाने के लिए जागरूक करने की भी आवश्यकता है। इसके अलावा हमें किसानों को इसका वैकल्पिक समाधान देना होगा। एक तंत्र विकसित करना होगा ताकि वे पराली न जलाएं और वैकल्पिक उपायों का इस्तेमाल करें। यह स्थिति इसलिए है क्योंकि सरकार के प्रयासों में कमी है। यह एक तरह से सरकार की विफलता है, पूरे तंत्र की विफलता है। सवाल: पराली जलाना तो अपराध की श्रेणी में है। इसका मतलब है कि यह प्रशासन की विफलता है? जवाब: दरअसल, आजीविका से संबंधित जो चीज होती है उसमें अपराध के बावजूद नियमों को लागू करने में दिक्कत होती है। आप उद्योगों का या गाड़ियों का चालान कर सकते हैं लेकिन किसानों के साथ ऐसा नहीं कर सकते। क्योंकि यह किसानों की आजीविका से जुड़ा मसला है। प्रशासन को भी देखना होता है कि कानून का क्रियान्वयन वह किस स्तर तक कर सकता है। वह एक साथ हजारों किसानों को जेल नहीं भेज सकता। यह होना भी नहीं चाहिए। क्योंकि यह उनकी आजीविका से जुड़ा हुआ है। यह व्यावहारिक भी नहीं है क्योंकि किसान अन्नदाता है। कानून लागू करने वालों के लिए भी यह बहुत मुश्किल होता है। क्योंकि उन्हें ऐसे मामलों में संवेदनशील भी होना पड़ता है। मैं कहता हूं कि वैकल्पिक व्यवस्था की जाए ताकि यह न हो। हमें इस दिशा में हमें देखना होगा। सवाल: हर साल यह घटनाक्रम होता है और इसे लेकर राजनीति भी खूब होती है। एक-दूसरे पर दोषारोपण होता है। इस परिस्थिति पर आप क्या कहेंगे? जवाब: राजनीतिक दलों को इसमें फायदा और नुकसान नहीं ढूंढ़ना चाहिए। अगर कोई पार्टी किसी भी राज्य में है तो उसकी यह जिम्मेदारी बनती है कि लोगों को कम से कम सांस लेने में परेशानी न हो। वे अपने कर्तव्य के दायरे में आने वाले सारे उपाय करें ताकि प्रदूषण कम हो, क्योंकि यह स्वास्थ्य से जुड़ा मुद्दा है। इसमें कोई भी राजनीति नहीं होनी चाहिए। दूसरा मुद्दा है समन्वय का। हर साल यह समस्या होती है लेकिन आखिरकार संबंधित राज्यों में समन्वय क्यों नहीं होता। केंद्र सरकार को एक नियम बनाना होगा। जैसा, नदियों के मामले में है। केंद्र सरकार सभी राज्यों के साथ बैठकर नियम बनाए और समन्वय स्थापित करे। प्रदूषण फैलाने वाले राज्यों की जवाबदेही तय करे। इसे अगर कानून के तहत लाया जाए तो और उत्तम होगा। ऐसा करना असंभव भी नहीं है क्योंकि कई सारे कामों पर करोड़ों रुपये खर्च होते हैं। हम कम से कम स्वच्छ वायु के लिए इतना तो कर ही सकते हैं। हम स्वच्छ वायु में निवेश करेंगे तो इससे जीडीपी में भी वृद्धि होगी। आज तो उसे नुकसान हो रहा है। भावी पीढ़ी भी प्रभावित हो रही है। सवाल: बतौर एक विशेषज्ञ, आपकी सरकारों को क्या सलाह होगी? जवाब: स्वच्छ हवा हम सबका मौलिक अधिकार है। जैसे ‘राइट टू लाइफ’ है। जो राज्य प्रदूषण रोकने में अच्छा काम करें उन्हें हमें प्रोत्साहित करना होगा और जो नहीं कर रहे हैं उन्हें सबक सिखाना भी जरूरी है। इसके अलावा हमें स्थानीय स्तर पर बेहद गंभीरता से काम करना होगा। शहरों के स्तर पर चुनिंदा उपायों से काम नहीं बनने वाला है। यह एक क्षेत्रीय समस्या है और इसे इसी नजर से देखा जाना चाहिए। साथ ही कई चीजें ऐसी हैं कि आप अचानक नहीं कर सकते। जैसे, सार्वजनिक परिवहन आप अचानक नहीं बढ़ा सकते। इसके लिए आपको पर्याप्त समय चाहिए। निर्माण कार्य से होने वाले प्रदूषण पर अचानक लगाम नहीं लगा सकते। दिल्ली में कूड़े का ढेर है और इसे जलाया जाता है क्योंकि इसका कोई उचित प्रबंधन नहीं होता। इन सब चीजों को लेकर आपको लगातार काम करते रहना होगा, तब जाकर आपको कोई असर दिखेगा।

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

From the India Today archives (2015) | Air pollution: Why Delhi is choking

The severely poor air quality in the national capital is yet another reminder that Delhi is a test case for urgent pollution reforms Every great city has its great joys and its great sorrows. So, Delhi, a radial melting pot of cultures that has history at every corner, greenery on every sidewalk, and changes clothes and colours with the seasons, has been plagued with debilitating concerns over women's safety, and with something noxious, deleterious, downright nasty, in the air. ADVERTISEMENT According to multiple surveys in recent years by organisations ranging from the World Health Organization (WHO) to the University of Surrey, and from the University of California at Berkeley to the Indian Institutes of Technology in Delhi, Kanpur and Mumbai, the city is now the most polluted in the world. An inglorious, undisputed leader in a dishonour roll that features 13 Indian cities among the top 20. A Delhi resident is today exposed to an average of 153 micrograms per cubic metre of PM 2.5—the smallest and most harmful of all measurable particulate matter—which is 15 times higher than the WHO’s recommended annual average. And while this data may seem too obscure to raise alarm bells, and the effects of pollution too insidious to rattle the cage, disease and death is looming. Preying first on the most vulnerable—children, seniors, those with respiratory disorders—and slowly devouring even the most hardy. ADVERTISING The stench of smoke, burning of the eyes, smoggy mornings, hazy nights are all symptoms of a deeper malaise. Doctors associate high levels of suspended particulate matter and sulphur dioxide with increased mortality, morbidity and impaired pulmonary function. They say that fine particulates penetrate the respiratory system, and can alter the immune system, impair the liver and the kidney, and cause brain damage in children resulting in lower IQ, hyperactivity and lower concentration. The rise in carbon monoxide levels affects the cardiovascular system, particularly among children, and can attack the nervous system. Two studies endorsed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in 2012 said that one in five adults and one in four children in Delhi suffered from upper respiratory diseases, and that these numbers were on an upward trend. There is no dispute any longer that drastic action is needed. In this winter of discontent when the ambient air quality is at its worst, emergency measures have suddenly become the order of the day as Delhi has emerged all of a sudden as a test case for pollution reforms that will have implications for cities such as Gwalior, Patna and Ahmedabad that are suffering from similar problems. The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has announced a series of half-measures—but measures nonetheless—to kick-start the fight. It has been buttressed by the judiciary, which has radical ideas of its own. So while one group has decided to restrict Delhi’s private four-wheelers to even and odd registration plates on alternate days, a battle of one-upmanship has begun in which the other wants to restrict or phase out diesel vehicles altogether. Ignoring the hue and cry and the logistic nightmare both these plans throw up, the executive and the judiciary seem determined to finally bell the cat. While this is a good issue to be squabbling over, some key questions remain: what does the cat really look like, how did it become so menacing, is the bell loud enough, and are they trying to bell the wrong cat altogether? Perhaps the first step towards understanding Delhi’s particular pollution problem is to understand the city—its aspirations, and its design. Delhi is primarily a network of localities, or a conglomerate of villages, linked by roads that intersect, bifurcate and overlap, like spaghetti in a bowl. It’s a series of concentric circles with numerous entry and exit points, and has almost no dedicated commercial centre, and no clear housing pattern. It is as long as it is wide, unlike Mumbai which has changed gradually from a straight line along the sea to a narrow isosceles triangle. Its population is growing at an alarming rate, having nearly doubled from 10 million to 20 million in the last two decades. And new satellite towns such as Gurgaon and Noida, which now form an ominous National Capital Region because of seamless urban integration, are also as commercial as they are residential. Design flaw It is, in other words, a landlocked cauldron of smoke, surrounded by an even smokier periphery, without the natural advantage of replenishing its air that coastal cities have. On top of that, it has an organic growth pattern that makes it arduous to provide a mass transit system that works for everyone because of a lack of clarity between where people live, and where they work. It is, as Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director-research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), puts it, “suffering from a design flaw”. And as Rahul Mehrotra, urban planner and professor of urban design and planning at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, describes it, “a victim of poor land-use planning”. It’s because of this haphazard structure that the greatest middle-class dream in Delhi is individual mobility, and the entire focus of its transport system has been to support private vehicles. To have made it in Delhi is to have wheels under you. The city, as a result, has a total of 8.8 million vehicles, and adds an average of 1,400 vehicles to its arsenal every month. This is more than the vehicles in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata combined, though about 60 per cent of these are two-wheelers. ADVERTISEMENT Another problem is that Delhi’s growth, and that of many other big Indian cities, has been so rapid that infrastructure has not been able to keep pace. “Typically, in India, the introduction of mass public transport is a rearguard action,” says the ever-cogent Mehrotra, “as opposed to avant garde action.” This is different from many other global cities where public transport, coupled with cheaper housing incentives, opened up newer, better-connected hinterlands. Infrastructure in Delhi has always tried to play catch-up with urbanisation rather than lead it. These factors make Delhi’s public transport system both more uncomfortable to use and more inefficient when compared with private vehicles. This double whammy is a crucial distinction, for there is no respite on either front—saving time or saving stress—for a majority of Delhi’s commuters who rely on public transport. In Mumbai, for example, if going from Andheri to Churchgate takes 45 minutes by train, it can take up to two hours by car. So,while a car may be more “luxurious”, it robs you of time. In Delhi, if going from South Delhi to Noida takes 40 minutes by car, it takes 90 minutes by train, including getting to and from the station. So public transport is not only more uncomfortable, it also wastes time. This is primarily why anyone who can afford to buy a private vehicle jumps at the idea in Delhi, as opposed to Mumbai, or other well-connected cities in the world, where vehicles are meant for family outings or weekend recreation. And this is why the AAP’s even-odd solution between January 1 and January 15 is likely to fail. For, while pollution is clearly important enough to override personal comfort, relying on the goodness of the people to embrace a more inefficient system for the “greater good” may be wishful thinking. Add to that the lack of capacity—according to Sarath Guttikunda of the advocacy site urbanemissions.info, it would take 13,000 new buses to take the additional load while the government has managed to arrange for only 6,000 extra buses so far—and this plan has all the makings of another urban bungle. The implications could be potentially disastrous for the larger cause because a hasty rollback due to improper implementation may potentially harm the fight against pollution rather than helping it. Not dissimilar to how the failure of the ambitious Bus Rapid Transit lanes created by the previous Sheila Dikshit government had ended up militating against the push for a more efficient bus service. Evenly odd What dilutes the even-odd formula, unless it’s used only as an emergency measure for limited time and with minimal exemptions, is that the numbers simply don’t add up. As Guttikunda explains, vehicular pollution depends on three principal factors—number of vehicles on the road, the distance each vehicle runs, and the emissions from each vehicle. So if 4.4 million of the 8.8 million vehicles in Delhi go off the roads because of the even-odd formula, the assumption is that it would lead to a 50 per cent reduction in vehicular emissions. But there is more to this than a simple division. Once you take into account the various exemptions that the AAP government is planning—for two-wheelers because they form one of the party’s principal constituencies, for women drivers because of safety concerns, and for patients and emergency vehicles such as ambulances and police vans—an estimated 2.5 million vehicles come back on the road, leading to a total reduction of just 2 million. Also, it has been noticed that wherever the even-odd formula has been applied—Mexico City and Bogota are examples—the run of each vehicle increases because it begins to make several rounds to cater to different members of a family. Even if a vehicle’s run increases by an average of 25 per cent, it brings emissions worth an additional 1.5 million vehicles back on the road, thus taking the grand total of reductions to a mere 500,000. Although there are some short-term advantages—fewer exhaust fumes in your immediate vicinity, and lower NO2 and particulate matter—it’s too much trouble for not enough gain. Only if conducted without exemptions for a short period of time—so that people do not buy newer cars or change registration numbers in multiple-vehicle homes—can the even-odd formula be somewhat successful. “We’re not in favour of any exemptions, other than for emergency vehicles,” says CSE’s Roychowdhury, who has met with the Delhi government to help iron out their even-odd formula and other strategies to combat pollution. Vehicular emissions, in any case, roughly account for 25 per cent of Delhi’s pollution, with construction activity and dust the main culprits. Diesel generator sets in homes and offices that spew pollutants through an unrefined motor in a bid to cover for poor power supply, industrial dumping and waste burning also add huge chunks to the pollution pie-chart. But this attempt by the AAP government is still being hailed as ground-breaking by experts, including Roychowdhury, with good reason. It is the first time that any restrictions are being placed on private vehicles in a country where car owners are in the habit of being pampered with a one-time all-India road tax, free parking in homes, cheap parking in markets, and no congestion charges. The move is an acknowledgement that the time to impose checks on vehicles has come, as other cities do across the world, and could serve as a precursor to making owning, maintaining, driving and parking a fleet of private vehicles more expensive and problematic than it currently is. An infinitely more efficient solution for vehicular pollution would be to implement Euro 6 emission norms for automobiles in India because that would bring down particulate matter emission by five times per vehicle over the Euro 4 norms that Delhi currently follows. This can be achieved by persuading oil companies to up their standards, without necessarily having to discard older cars immediately since a Euro 4 vehicle can run on Euro 6 fuels. The Delhi government is also promising to restrict the number of trucks entering the city, shutting coal-based power plants in Rajghat and Badarpur, enforcing the ban on trash burning, and penalising construction violators. But implementing these measures won’t be easy, especially since they will have to rely on the Delhi Police, which is not under the AAP government’s control and has, in fact, been openly inimical towards it. Even controlling the flow of trucks into the city, many of which use sub-standard or mixed fuels, will be a hard cross to bear despite the Supreme Court’s ‘green tax’ that attempts to discourage them from using Delhi as a thoroughfare. The court, on December 16, passed another order that banned the entry of trucks manufactured before 2005 from entering the city, and closing the entry points at NH1 and NH8 for trucks not bound for Delhi. A recent study by the CSE suggests that a total of 115,000 light commercial and heavy trucks enter Delhi every day. The court also stopped the registration of all luxury diesel vehicles larger than 2,000cc, such as luxury SUVs and MUVs, until March. This decision will have huge implications for the auto industry. “Air pollution needs to be tackled at the policy level first,” says Guttikunda. “One-off measures that place the burden on the consumers won’t have wide-reaching impacts.” The solutions he suggests are cleaner fuels; more reliable power supply, which will cut down diesel generator set use; picking up waste because it has the potential to be burned; dust- and pothole-free roads; and improving services that encourage walking and cycling. The important thing is the simultaneity of such measures, making the fight against pollution a crusade instead of piecemeal campaigns against individual contaminants. The way out Strange as it may sound, India’s pollution conundrum is not too different from what the US had experienced between the 1940s and the 1970s. It was a time when southern California and the East Coast were both routinely engulfed by smog. On July 26, 1943, in the middle of the Second World War, the smog in Los Angeles was so severe that residents thought the Japanese had attacked using chemical warfare. Another significant incident of all was the Donora Smog in Pennsylvania in 1948. It claimed 20 human and 800 animal lives, and could have consumed thousands of others had the thick wall of smoke not been cleared by unexpected rain after four days. It prompted the beginning of a long fight against air pollution that eventually led to the US Clean Air Act of 1970 and to the creation of a strong United States Environmental Protection Agency, which was given the power to develop and enforce regulations to protect the general public from exposure to airborne contaminants. One of the major problems in India is that while central agencies have been tasked with monitoring pollution, they don't have a mandate to control it. The US Clean Air Act, for example, made it mandatory to develop ways to ensure better air quality across the country without any cost restraints. In India, the CPCB doesn’t have strong enforcement powers. It relies on the government or the courts to take the lead-as the Supreme Court did in 2001 by ordering that all public transport in Delhi must switch to CNG, dramatically improving air quality. But the lack of other reforms, and the sheer volume of vehicles coupled with a terrible central policy that encouraged the rampant production, sale and purchase of diesel vehicles, reversed the trend in 2007. Over the last year, the CPCB has started taking its monitoring role more seriously by setting up a real-time system to measure Air Quality Index (AQI) across eight pollutants in 11 cities. The aim is to make AQIs available for 22 state capitals and 44 other cities with a population exceeding one million. But it’s too little, too late. In all of Delhi’s seven monitoring centres, AQI readings have routinely breached 300 this December—anything above that is considered hazardous—and crossed 600 regularly at Anand Vihar in east Delhi. The solution, suggests Rahul Mehrotra, is to think macro. “Delhi needs imaginative inter-modal transport systems that link buses with metros, and taxis and autos with buses. You shouldn’t lose time and you shouldn’t have to walk more than a few metres to get to your next ride,” he says. Next, he asks for a transport system that is mindful of the relationship between where people live and where they work. “Land-use planning and transportation must go hand in hand. In fact, it should be the only parameter.” And finally, using public transport to develop the city by offering cheap housing near new mass transit systems. It’s important for Delhi that this season of heightened awareness portends holistic changes; that it isn’t an example of intense fire-fighting, only to be forgotten once short-term solutions provide meagre gains. The era of ignorant optimism is over. So, roll over P.B. Shelley and welcome to the grim new world of George R.R. Martin: Winter is coming; Spring may indeed be far behind.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Delhi pollution needs long-term steps, targetting select sectors not way forward, say experts

Is banning BS IV diesel vehicles too little and late for addressing the pollution problem in Delhi? Experts say resuspended dust from broken roads and inadequate waste management are amongst the key aspects that need to be addressed. As Delhi continues to reel under the effect of severe air pollution, the Commission for Air Quality Management undertook several measures envisaged by Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan. But is banning BS IV diesel vehicles enough to address the current situation and stabilise the pollution levels. According to a study by the Centre of Science and Environment indicates that when pollution concentration from all sources (local, NCR and beyond) are added, Delhi’s vehicles account for nearly 17 per cent of total PM2.5 concentration. If just the local sources are taken into account, the share of vehicular pollution shoots up to almost as high as 50 percent as per the study. ADVERTISING Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE pointed out that Delhi has close to 1.5 crore registered vehicles (as per the Vahan database) and sees an annual addition of five lakh vehicles a year (of which 97 percent are personal vehicles, mainly two-wheelers and cars), “has failed to build transportation strategies to scale for transformative changes and build an effective public transport system.” With more than 200 lakh population (estimate of World Population Prospect by the UN, 2018), the city is estimated to be generating at least 276 lakh daily travel trips.

• Down To Earth

COP27: Five Issues On India's Radar

Along with financing for climate change-induced loss and damage, India is expected to hammer out agreements on just transition and new carbon markets in Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt. Last year's annual global climate change conference was held on the heels of the Covid-19 pandemic. This year's Conference of the Parties (COP27) in Egypt, which will begin on Sunday, November 6, is significant as it is being held in the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine that has resulted in a global energy crisis at a time when the world is trying to move away from fossil fuels, the major source of energy for the world. At the conference, India will, among other things, push for a just transition deal--which means ensuring energy for a developing country and protecting its workforce employed in fossil-fuel related industries--as it moves to renewable sources of energy, climate finance for adaptation, mitigation and financial assistance for climate change-induced loss and damage. In addition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to use India's 'lifestyle for environment' or LiFE mission, which refers to adopting a sustainable lifestyle, to position the country as going beyond policy-making as it advocates for individual and community-level change to help the global fight against climate change. Climate change negotiations are not just a diplomatic exercise for India; the country is experiencing the adverse effects of climate change every year with a 55% increase in heat-related deaths between 2000-2004 and 2017-2021, and income loss equivalent to 5.4% of its gross domestic product (GDP) due to extreme heat, an emailed press release on research published by The Lancet said. India had extreme weather events on 242 of the 273 days between January 1 and September 30, 2022. Domestically, India has set its own ambitious climate pledges, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and a net-zero goal (carbon neutrality, referring to all carbon emissions either being eliminated or absorbed and not released into the environment) for 2070, but it also needs external financial help for its people to adapt to the effects of global warming and to mitigate losses. Lifestyle to combat climate change The Indian government is pushing Mission LiFE, a belief that apart from policy interventions at a government level, individuals and communities, by changing their behaviour to reduce carbon emissions, can lend a hand in the fight against climate change. The movement was launched in October 2022 by PM Narendra Modi along with United Nations Chief Antonio Gueterres. Not only is LiFE being promoted at COP27, it has also officially been made part of India's NDC and might also be on its agenda for India's presidency at G20. G20 or the group of 20 is an intergovernmental platform comprising 19 countries and the European Union that works to address issues like climate change, the global economy and financial stability. India will hold the G20 presidency from December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2023. LiFE's three-pronged strategy includes nudging individuals to practise simple yet effective environment-friendly actions in their daily lives (demand), such as using public transport and choosing sustainable products like cloth bags over plastic; enabling industries and markets to respond swiftly to the reducing demand (supply) for environmentally unsustainable products like disposable/single-use products and packaging; and to influence government and industrial policy to support both sustainable consumption and production (policy). "LiFE is a positive effort but it comes with certain caveats," said Avantika Goswami, a programme manager for climate change at the New Delhi-based research organisation, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). "The IPCC report identifies what impact behavioural change can have on emissions reduction. But I believe that this should apply to wealthy individuals and countries who have extremely high per capita emissions." India's per capita emissions, at 2.4 tonne carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e), are far below the world average, at 6.3 tCO2e, in 2020, noted the 2022 Emissions Gap report by the United Nations Environment Programme. The US, on the other hand, stands at 14 tCO2e, almost six times India's per capita emissions. "The IPCC report also states that individual behavioural change is insufficient for climate change mitigation unless embedded in structural and cultural change. So it requires enabling infrastructure to help individuals make the right low-carbon choices," such as better footpaths or first and last mile connectivity to promote walking or use of public transport, added Goswami. "There can also be the danger of shifting of accountability [to citizens] because what then are our larger entities, authorities doing?" Carbon markets A carbon market allows countries and companies, that are unable to meet emissions targets, to buy carbon credits from those that have reduced emissions and have 'credits' for sale. For instance, from 2002 to 2012, Indian companies and the government together had earned hundreds of crores worth of carbon credits under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)--what carbon markets under the Kyoto Protocol were known as–by reducing industrial emissions, switching to renewable energy, energy efficiency in households and protecting forests, and sold some of them as credits to countries or companies that were likely to exceed their emission targets. Ahead of COP27, in August 2022, the lower house of the Indian Parliament passed the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, which if enacted will empower the union government to launch a National Carbon Market to trade credits domestically. Carbon markets have been one of the most debated topics in UNFCCC negotiations because of concerns over double counting of the traded emissions by buying and selling countries, human rights abuses in, and falsifying claims about, reducing emissions under the carbon market mechanism under the Kyoto protocol that preceded the Paris agreement. It was also on the agenda at COP26, specifically Article 6 of the Paris agreement, which focuses on setting up market mechanisms to meet nationally determined goals of countries. "For the European Union, the international carbon markets are instruments of decarbonisation, but for developing nations it is an instrument of climate finance," says Vaibhav Chaturvedi of the Council for Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). Many of the key issues in the Article 6 Rulebook were resolved at COP26 last year (such as rules on transferring mitigation credits between countries and rules on incentivising the private sector), noted Aman Srivastava, fellow at the New Delhi based think-tank Centre for Policy Research (CPR). Lingering issues include how to transition CDM credits to the carbon market mechanism under the Paris agreement, he said, adding that discussions will also focus on "how countries can make national arrangements to participate in Article 6". Moving away from fossil fuels through a just transition The Russian invasion of Ukraine added a layer of complexity to global efforts to cut fossil fuel, and specifically coal, consumption. Russia has been by far the world's largest exporter of fossil fuels, especially to the European countries. As European countries imposed sanctions, Russia curtailed supply of natural gas to Europe. Many were pushed back into reliance over oil and coal for energy. To meet its growing energy requirement and shortage of domestic coal, India imported coal earlier this year. The UNEP report had also stated that India's coal emissions in 2021 exceeded pre-pandemic levels. At the 21st Conference of Parties in Paris in 2015, the world had aimed to limit global warming well below 2°C, preferably to 1.5°C, as a temperature increase beyond this limit would mean more frequent and intense climate-related risks like heat waves and floods. But the world is not on track to achieve this aim, according to the UNEP 2022 Emissions Gap report. New and updated pledges submitted by countries will only reduce 10% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, when a 45% reduction is required. As part of its pledge, India too had committed to reducing the emissions intensity of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 45% by 2030, from 2005 levels. It has also pledged to have about 50% of installed electric power from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030. "We are on track to reduce the emissions intensity of our economy as per our target. But domestically, we could show higher ambition by having non-fossil fuel generation targets instead of capacity targets," said Goswami of CSE. Installed capacity refers to what an entity is capable of producing and the actual generation, or what that entity achieves, may differ drastically. At the moment, India's installed capacity of fossil fuel sources (coal, lignite, gas and diesel) stands at 57.9%, and of non-fossil fuels stands at 42.1% However, if we look at actual generation, coal still dominates our power generation while renewable energy is at 26%. India had toned down its ambitions for non fossil-fuel based energy of 500 GW by 2030 that PM Modi had announced at COP26, to reach 50% (407 GW) of its estimated electricity demand of 817 megawatt in 2030, when India's official climate pledges were sanctioned by the Union cabinet. In addition, at COP26, India insisted on a "phase-down" of coal use rather than "phase-out", because unlike developed nations, India's energy needs are not yet met. Even though India builds clean energy infrastructure, the existing fossil fuel capacity cannot be simply phased out or substituted. At COP27, India will push for climate finance to achieve this phase down in coal. A June 2022 report by BloombergNEF stated that India will require a $223 billion investment between 2022-2029 to meet the wind and solar capacity under the updated NDCs. The G7 countries, which includes Germany, Italy, Canada, France, Japan, UK and the US declared in June 2022 that they will launch a Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) with India, South Africa, Indonesia, Senegal, Argentina at COP27. The partnership aims to reduce dependency on coal and finance the rapid deployment of clean energy in India, and experts say we will know more about the partnership at COP27. Transparency, accountability and scaling up of climate finance The issue of financial help to cut emissions and adapt to the effects of climate change for developing countries will be at the top of the agenda at COP27. India has announced its intention to raise the issue of finance and stated that countries must agree on the definition of climate finance. Tracking climate finance is difficult because there is no clear definition on what counts as climate finance. The UNFCCC's operational definition, that "climate finance aims at reducing emissions and enhancing sinks of greenhouse gases and aims at reducing the vulnerability of, and maintaining and increasing the resilience of, human and ecological systems to negative climate change impacts," is too broad and leaves room for ambiguity, according to a 2022 study by Anis Choudhary and Jomo Kwame Sundaram. The two other issues with climate finance are its scale and its delivery, experts told us. In 2009, developed countries had pledged to deliver to developing countries an annual climate fund of $100 billion per year by 2020 for funding climate adaptation and mitigation measures. Between 2013 and 2019, only 65% of the finance was delivered on average by developed nations to developing nations. The target was then deferred by three years to 2023. According to the Adaptation Gap 2022 report released by the United Nations Environment Programme on November 3, the combined adaptation and mitigation finance in 2020 fell short by at least $17 billion of the $100 billion. Further, the $100 billion promise is now inadequate because developing countries are estimated to need $600 billion a year from 2020 to 2050 to decarbonise just their energy sectors. At COP26, Prime Minister Modi demanded $1 trillion in finance from developed countries. The African group of countries also called for a $1.3 trillion a year in climate finance to be made available from 2025. "The debate at COP27 will not just be about numbers but that some action should happen," said Chaturvedi of CEEW. "Finance should start flowing in. Private finance and low-cost finance should also come in." Reparations for loss and damage A subset of climate finance, loss and damage finance is one of the other issues which will be at the centre of developing nation's attention at COP27, according to an official press release from the Indian environment ministry. 'Loss and Damage' reflects the impact of changing weather on communities due to climate change, which cannot be avoided by undertaking measures to reduce greenhouse gas (termed as mitigation) or adjusting to climate change impacts (termed as adaptation), according to several studies. India is one of the most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, with the poor being the most at risk. For instance, unseasonal rains and extreme weather events are culminating in heavy loss for farmers and fishers from Maharashtra, IndiaSpend had reported in October 2022, and loss and damage finance can help compensate for these losses. The demand for finance to cover loss and damage by developing countries has been a long-standing one. At COP26, there was some progress when the group of developing countries known as the G77, and China, called for a formal 'loss and damage finance facility' to be set up to provide financial support to vulnerable nations. However, due to opposition from the developed countries, such as the EU, US and UK, leaders failed to establish a relief fund to help developing countries deal with climate change-related loss and damage. "The disproportionate impact of climate change calls for mainstreaming loss and damage into action and should be an important component of the (COP27) negotiations," said Abinash Mohanty, a public policy expert in climate risks and adaptation, and a reviewer of the IPCC's sixth assessment report on the impacts of climate change.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Delhi Air Pollution: The Main Cause This Year And Road Ahead | Explained

According to the study, much of the pollution between October 21 to 26 from within the city was caused by vehicular emissions. Year after year Delhi starts choking around the month of October-November owing to the rise in air pollution. This year is no different with AQI already entering the severe category with no respite in sight. The government seems to wake up only after the situation has gone out of control. The whole debate around weather is very seasonal and has very little significance when it comes to tackling a very serious problem of bad air in the capital. Let’s try and understand what actually contributes to the pollution in Delhi. How much of it is its own contribution? What are the other factors and road ahead for Delhi? The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has come up with a study which focuses on the main factors which contributed to the rise in air pollution in Delhi. According to the study, much of the pollution between October 21 to 26 from within the city was caused by vehicular emissions. CSE’s analysis of data from October 21 to 26 found that of the local sources of pollution, vehicular emissions may have contributed around 51 per cent to the PM2.5 levels in Delhi. The analysis also found that Delhi’s local sources caused around 32.9 per cent of the pollution in the city.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Why Is Delhi Choking? It’s Not What You Think! Two Wheelers Are a Major Culprit

"It is well known that two wheelers are predominantly the cause of vehicular pollution in Delhi," an expert said. The majority of the pollution enveloping Delhi during the week of Diwali came from vehicles, indicated an analysis released by the think tank 'Centre for Science and Environment' (CSE) on Friday, 2 November - and a bulk of this automobile pollution was generated by two wheel vehicles in the city. A statement by the CSE iterated: "...if only Delhi’s local sources are considered, the transport sector topped the ranks, with vehicles contributing around half of the PM2.5 concentration from local sources. The indicative data shows that their daily share varied between 49.3 per cent and 53 per cent during that week." Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) In a city where two-wheelers make up 70 per cent of annual transport additions, it becomes important to examine their role in polluting Delhi's air. "It is well known that two wheelers are predominantly the cause of vehicular pollution in Delhi," Vivek Chattopadhyay, Senior Programme Manager at CSE's Clean Air Programme told The Quint. In the last few days, the national capital's Air Quality Index (AQI) touched alarming levels, with most parts of the city recording an AQI of over 400. On Friday, Delhi Chief Minister announced closure of all primary schools, as the city hurtled into a health crisis amidst rising pollution.

• Sustainable Habitat

मार्च से अब तक डेढ़ दर्जन हीट वेव झेल चुकी है दिल्ली

देश की राजधानी में इस वर्ष गर्मी ने बीते कई वर्षों के रिकॉर्ड तोड़ दिए हैं। इस वर्ष पहली हीट वेव 11 मार्च को ही आ गई थी। जोकि बढ़ते वैश्विक तापमान का परिचायक है। यह बीते 122 साल में पहली बार था जब किसी वर्ष की शुरूआत में मार्च की 11 तारीख को ही पहली हीट वेव आ गई हो। दिल्ली में मार्च-अप्रैल समेत मई के पहले हफ्ते तक तकरीबन डेढ़ दर्जन हीट वेव आ चुकी हैं। जून में मानसून आने तक जारी रहेंगी हीट वेव बीते हफ्ते हुई बूंदाबादी और असानी चक्रवात के असर के कारण मौसम में बदलाव जरूर देखने को मिला है। लेकिन आगामी हफ्ते में मौसम विभाग की चेतावनी है कि फिर से हीट वेव आ रही है। यह हीट वेव लगातार जून में मानसून आने तक जारी रहने वाली हैं। क्योंकि इस समय धरती की सतह औद्योगिक पीरियड से 1.09 डिग्री ज्यादा गर्म हो चुकी है। इस गर्मी में वेट बल्व की भी समस्या आ रही है। वेट बल्व तापमान में बढ़ोत्तरी से होगी परेशानी वेट बल्व में वातावरण के तापमान में मौजूद 35 फीसद ह्यूमीडिटी ही मनुष्य बर्दास्त कर सकता है। लेकिन इससे अधिक ह्यूमीडिटी होने पर शरीर इसे बर्दास्त नहीं कर पाएगा। एनसीडीसीआर की रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक देश में अत्यधिक गर्मी के कारण 2015 से 2019 के बीच 3775 लोगों की मौत हो चुकी है। गांवों की अपेक्षा शहरों का तापमान अधिक पर्यावरणविदें का कहना है कि इस बढ़े हुए तापमान में शहरों में बहुत परेशानी हो रही है। कंक्रीटीकरण और औद्योगिकीकरण के कारण शहरों में इस समय तापमान मैदानी इलाकों की बजाय दिन में 1-3 डिग्री 'यादा गर्म और रात में यह मैदानी इलाके की बजाय शहरी इलाके में 12 डिग्री तक अधिक गर्म रहता है। घरों के डिजाइन में बदलाव जरूरी होगा सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट में सस्टेनेबल बिल्डिंग और हैबीटेट प्रोग्राम के निदेशक रजनीश सरीन का मानना है कि हीट वेव के बढऩे से उर्जा की खपत बढ़ गई है। इससे मानवीय स्वास्थ्य पर खतरा है। इससे शहरों में रिकॉर्ड बिजली मांग को देखा गया है। उनका मानना है कि हमारे घरों को अगर तापमान सहने लायक तैयार किया जाए। तो घरों के अंदर बाहर 25 डिग्री तक तापमान कम महसूस हो ऐसा बनाया जा सकता है। ऐसे तय होती है हीट वेव मौसम विभाग के अनुसार मैदानी इलाके में जब तापमान 40 डिग्री सेल्सियस, कोस्टल एरिया में 37 डिग्री सेल्सियस और पहाड़ी इलाके में 30 डिग्री सेल्सियस क्रास कर जाता है। तब इसे हीट वेव करार दिया जाता है। इस दौरान जब दिन के मौजूदा औसत तापमान में 4.5 से 6.4 डिग्री सेल्सियस तक तापमान की बढ़ोत्तरी देखी जाती है। तो इसे मौसम विभाग खतरनाक स्तर की हीट वेव घोषित करता है।

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Delhi pollution: AAP govt likely to impose ban on diesel cars today

The Delhi Government is likely to impose a ban on plying of diesel-run vehicles as the air quality remains under the "severe" category. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) recommended enforcement of restrictions mandated under stage four of the Graded Response Action Plan or Grap due to a spike in pollution. Under these GRAP measures, the state governments should stop the entry of diesel-run trucks, except those carrying essential commodities, and diesel cars except the BS-VI emission norms compliant vehicles, , according to an order issued by the CAQM. According to a report by the Hindustan Times, Livemint's sister publication, Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai has called a high-level meeting on Friday afternoon at the Delhi Secretariat in the wake of the CAQM directions. However, an official from the Delhi Transport Department told the daily that the ban on plying of diesel vehicles will be tough. As for enforcing the ban on the plying of four-wheeler diesel LMVs in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, the official said they have access to a pan-India database through the "Vahan" portal. "The vehicles will be turned back and if any vehicle manages to sneak in and is found plying on the roads of Delhi, it will be immediately impounded," he added. The official said the department can only implement the ban manually. "There is no mechanism to implement it through technology. We will have to stop a vehicle, key in its details into the Vahan portal and only then will we get to know whether it is a BS-VI vehicle or any other vehicle," the official said. The officials said if the air quality levels witness an improvement, that is, they fall below 400, the ban will not be in place The department will issue public notices and release advertisements to make people aware about the restrictions in place. Another spokesperson from the transport department told the daily that if such vehicles are found plying, the owners may face a challan of ₹20,000. Yesterday, Delhi Transport Department officials said that a total of 120 teams will be in action at Delhi's entry points to ensure that trucks, apart from those carrying essential items, do not enter the national capital. The commission also ordered a ban on the Delhi-registered diesel-run medium and heavy goods vehicles in the capital. Those carrying essential commodities and providing essential services are exempted. The entry of trucks other than those run on electric and CNG into Delhi is banned too. According to an estimate by the transport department, there are nearly 300,000 diesel vehicles that have a BS-III or BS-IV engine in Delhi. Last year, a study conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) claimed that vehicles are the biggest contributor to local particulate matter in Delhi.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Vehicles curbs in Delhi as air quality plunges; govt mulls odd-even

Curbs on private and commercial vehicles entering the National Capital will come into effect soon, the Delhi government said. Giving details, Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai said the transport department is also drafting a public order about the ban. “The order will be issued by Friday evening ,” he said. Speaking to HT, a transport department official said a ban will be imposed on all BS-III and BS-IV four-wheeler diesel vehicles and all Delhi registered commercial diesel vehicles including BS-VI. Vehicles carrying essential goods using non-diesel trucks will be allowed to enter Delhi, he said. All two and three-wheelers are exempted from the curbs. “There are 120 enforcement teams deployed to check whether the vehicles are sticking to emission standards. They will also ensure that the curbs are enforced,” said the transport department official . Further, the department will send messages to all vehicles likely to face the curbs and a challan of ₹20,000 fine will be imposed for the offence. Meanwhile, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said the government is exploring the possibility of once again implementing an odd-even traffic scheme and are consulting experts regarding the same. The curbs come in view of the air quality plunging into the severe category as the city records its worst air since December 26 last year. In an order issued on Thursday evening, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) recommended enforcement of restrictions mandated under stage four of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap). Under the Grap measures, when the air quality slips into the severe category (AQI between 401-500), the state governments should stop the entry of diesel-run trucks, except those carrying essential commodities, and diesel cars, except the BS-VI emission norms compliant vehicles. According to an estimate by the transport department, there are nearly 300,000 diesel vehicles likely to be affected after the curbs implementation. An analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in November last year said that vehicles are the biggest contributor to local particulate matter in Delhi. Delhi has 8 million active vehicles of which around 30% are clean fuel vehicles comprised of CNG, petrol and electric.