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To tackle air pollution, devise concrete, measurable time-bound targets

Economic incentives tied to pollution-based targets would allow for both an efficient allocation of NCAP funds for cities where there are active air quality policy implementations and would also additionally incentivise states to reach such targets in a time-bound manner We don’t need any more studies to underline the importance of clean air for a healthy population or to show that there is a positive correlation between polluted air and negative GDP growth. Recent studies in the United States have also linked high Covid-19 mortality rates to areas where population was exposed to higher particulate matter. India which has the dubious distinction of having 21 out of 30 most polluted cities in the world, we are still not serious about solving air crisis. The National Clean Air Program (NCAP), the only centrally funded scheme that deals with air pollution, is badly formulated and grossly underfunded. After much delay, disbursement of funds started in November 2020. 231 cities with poor air quality, including Delhi, were left out and some of the smaller cities such as Shillong received ₹20 lakh, which is not even enough to buy one air quality monitor. The war against pollution will need be led by the central government because air pollution does not recognise administrative boundaries. Take the case of Delhi. A recent study by the Centre for Science and Environment highlighted that Delhi’s internal contribution to pollution is 31% to the existing PM2.5 levels, the rest originated from the National Capital Region and surrounding areas. Every time Delhi takes stringent measures such as shutting polluting industries and power plants, higher tax for diesel vehicles, the city government loses revenue. However, the air does not get any cleaner because the industries move to neighbouring cities/states and continue to pollute Delhi’s airshed. With Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and Faridabad featuring among the most polluted cities of India, the inaction by governments of NCR districts and Commission for Air Quality Management’s (CAQM) inefficiency in ensuring that states are bound to specific time-bound targets, has nullified Delhi government’s efforts in addressing air quality levels in Delhi and providing its citizens with a better measure of life. Similarly, although industrial pollution within Delhi has gone down from 16% in 2016 to 2.5% in 2019 as a result of measures taken by the Delhi government to either shut down or encourage adoption of cleaner fuels, just a few kilometers from Delhi’s border, industrial clusters in Faridabad, Narela, Sahibabad consisting of most polluting smelters, and tanneries continue to operate with limited regulations resulting in toxic emissions. A regional approach where states only look at air quality within their administrative boundaries is bound to fail, while adopting an airshed approach will go a long way in helping improve air quality levels for the NCR region. We need to take a regional airshed approach, further elaborating the NCR example - a body like CAQM would need to formulate a 10-year plan for the NCR area. This plan should have specific annual targets for each of the cities in the airshed. For example, if Delhi were to reduce its particulate matter by XX micro grams in a year, then Delhi would get additional funds of XX crore. At the same time, if Delhi misses the target, then Delhi would be penalized by XX crore. Unless we have concrete, measurable time-bound targets, we will continue to ruin the lungs of our children. The much-acclaimed China model for pollution mitigation was successful due to region-wise emission-reduction targets evolved for its most polluted regions, where each city was given long and short-term targets to reduce particulate matter concentrations, with best performing cities rewarded with additional budgetary allocations. This is no different than the concept of social bonds as a financial tool that is being used world over to address or mitigate a specific social issue and seek to achieve positive social outcomes. Economic incentives tied to pollution-based targets would allow for both an efficient allocation of NCAP funds for cities where there are active air quality policy implementations and would also additionally incentivise states to reach such targets in a time-bound manner. We should give up our dream of double digit GDP growth or of becoming a superpower if a large percentage of our future generations are growing up in areas with toxic air.

Future of public transport in India – Electric Buses

Given that the ratio of cars per thousand individuals is far less in India than in developed countries like the USA, UK and Australia, the dependence of majority of the population on public transport will continue. The need to reduce the dependence on imported oil, and the growing concerns over climate change have been the key drivers to the growth of electric vehicles (EVs) throughout the world. To keep pace with the global economy, various policy initiatives have been introduced by the Indian government since 2007 to give an impetus to the high-potential EV industry. Further, the government’s goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070 as committed during the recently held COP26 summit, further presses the need to focus on EVs as the ‘future of mobility’. Given that the ratio of cars per thousand individuals is far less in India than in developed countries like the USA, UK and Australia, the dependence of majority of the population on public transport will continue. Hence, in order for India to reduce its carbon emissions, focus has to be on the mass scale electrification of public transport, in which e-buses will play a crucial role. In view of the various policy initiatives and the rising EV revolution, while a great response has already been shown by the existing Indian market players in the 2 & 3 wheelers segments (which require relatively less capex); the existing commercial vehicle players have either entered or are in the process of entering the EV space. As per a report, in the year 2020 around 5,15,600 EVs were sold in India, which included only 600 e-buses(1). Further, according to a report issued by SMEV, around 2,36,802 EVs were sold in India in FY20-21, and as per market sources e-buses accounted for only a small portion of the cumulative EV sales(2). In respect of the market players, until the FY20-21, about 74% of the total e-bus supply orders in India were catered by relatively new market players(3). The e-bus reforms in the country have been largely driven by incentives offered by the government, and few of the key initiatives contributing to the growth of e-bus industry are: (i) FAME II, with an outlay of INR 10,000 crores, is aimed providing upfront subsidies and creating EV charging infrastructure. This scheme proposes to support 7,090 e-buses with an incentive of up to INR 50 lakhs each. Bids to procure 5,580 e-buses have recently been sought by CESL under the ‘Grand Challenge’ as part of FAME II. (ii) National Programme on ACC, with an outlay of INR 18,100 crore, is aimed at incentivizing setting up of manufacturing facilities for 50 GWh of ACC and 5 GWh of niche ACC technologies. (iii) PLI scheme for automobile and auto components, with an outlay of INR 25,938 crore, is aimed at incentivising manufacturing of high technology automobiles and automotive components in India. In addition to the above, several initiatives have been introduced like reduction of GST on EVs, introduction of vehicle scrappage policy, de-licensing of public charging stations, etc. Despite the aforesaid the Indian e-bus revolution has not grown to the targeted levels, and is facing its own set of challenges, some of which are as under: (i) Dependency on imports: While chassis and bus bodies of the e-buses are being manufactured locally, the e-bus industry is still largely dependent on imports from select players for a variety of EV components and batteries. (ii) Uncertainty of battery life, and environmental concerns: There are uncertainties with regard to the limited life of the batteries of e-buses (which is estimated to be approx. 5 years), as the same is yet to be tested. Further, various bodies have also raised environmental concerns regarding the disposal of the batteries used in EVs. (iii) Lack of infrastructure: In order for the entire country to switch to e-buses, major infrastructure updation including charging stations are required to be created, for which huge capital investment is required. As against target requirement of 4,00,000 charging stations for 2 million EVs by 2026, there had been only 1,800 charging stations in India until March 20214. Lastly, as both the government and public are becoming more aware about the much needed switch to e-mobility, it is equally important to understand that the presence of e-buses will only be felt when an entire eco-system is developed for such buses, the role of government departments is streamlined so as to ensure an adequate demand-supply equilibrium, fiscal benefits and incentives are continued to be provided, and R&D on more efficient and cost effective technologies is encouraged. It would be interesting to examine whether the upcoming Union Budget will be able to deliver to the expectations of the industry.

A clarion call

Some parts of Climate Change: Science and Politics are simple and others are complex, much like the issue itself. The truth is stark: we are living on a planet that is heating up. But what we have done with that truth is complicated. And that is what this book seeks to address. It begins with the basics, explaining the earth’s climate system, natural greenhouse effect and the problem of rising emissions. Then it explains at length the impact of climate change on the planet, the history of climate negotiations (from the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro to the Paris Agreement and beyond) and how carbon markets operate. At the heart of the issue is the problem of climate equity. For decades, it has been the industrialised nations which are historically responsible for some 70 per cent of global emissions. Despite their annual emissions slowing down, they have not fundamentally shifted away from a carbon intensive economy. Hence, the developing countries claim that these nations should bear the larger responsibility of repairing the impact of global warming. But they are resisting, “hell-bent on erasing any mention of historical emissions from all texts”. It is in this context that the push towards net zero assumes importance. The UN Secretary General’s Climate Action Summit in October 2019 saw 65 countries commit to the net zero concept. Many like the US, the UK, Canada and France have set a 2050 net zero deadline. But this is problematic on several levels. Several countries, for one, have not charted a clear roadmap on how they are going to meet the deadline. Others are resorting to carbon trading, but given the lack of rules for this under the Paris Agreement, it may not be the long-term solution. At places, the book is too niche and might be of interest only to the specialists. Despite this, it is highly informative and a lot of effort has gone into the research and execution. The tone of the book is urgent. As Sunita Narain, the director general of the Centre for Science and Environment, writes in the preface, “Too much time has been wasted in denial, or plain laxity in getting our act together to move at the speed and scale that is needed. We do not have the luxury of time anymore. My generation has squandered the privilege away.” Perhaps this tone is warranted, given how it underlines the truth that climate change is one issue we cannot remain neutral about. After years of inaction and indifference, we are facing the heat—literally. Climate Change: Science and Politics Published by Centre for Science and Environment Price Rs750; pages 198

CSE finds early signs of rising air pollution in MP, Chhattisgarh

The CSE analysis shows that air pollution during winter is a problem in all the cities in these two states, with Gwalior and Singrauli having the worst air quality It is not only the northern part of India that is in the grip of severe winter pollution but several cities in other regions -- including in the central Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh -- are experiencing a worsening of winter pollution, finds a latest analysis from Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The analysis shows that air pollution during winter is a problem in all the cities in these two states, with Gwalior and Singrauli having the worst air quality -- as bad as the winter air quality of cities in the National Capital Region and Uttar Pradesh. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution is also high in these cities, with Indore recording the highest for the region. Singrauli, a small town in eastern Madhya Pradesh, but designated as a critically polluted area by the Central Pollution Control Board, has the most polluted air in the region with a 2021 average of 81 micrograms per metre cube. It is followed by Gwalior and Katni that have 2021 averages of 56 micrograms per metre cube and 54 micrograms per metre cube, respectively. The 2021 average has bypassed the 2020 average in all the major cities -- Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Ujjain -- and it does not meet the annual standard as well. "Satna has the lowest 2021 average value, but the quality of data from the city's only station is suspect. Bilaspur, Bhilai and Maihar do not have adequate data for computation of annual values," a release from the CSE said on Monday. "Even though real time air quality data is extremely limited in this region, whatever real time data is emerging from only 17 cities of these two big states indicate a growing crisis and vulnerability to winter smog. This demands early and stronger multi-sector action at a regional scale to meet the clean air targets," said executive director, research and advocacy, CSE, Anumita Roychowdhury. "Gaps in air quality data and lack of quality control of data makes it difficult to construct reliable air quality trends and do proper risk assessment," said Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE. "The worsening of air quality in the region has not drawn adequate public attention. In winter, air quality of cities such as Singrauli, Gwalior, Jabalpur and Katni could get nearly three times worse than their annual average levels." The CSE analysis of air quality status in cities of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh is an assessment of annual and seasonal trends in PM2.5 concentration for the period January 1, 2019 to December 12, 2021. This analysis is based on real time data available from the current working air quality monitoring stations in central India. The analysis covers 18 continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) spread across 17 cities in the two states -- two stations in Gwalior and one station each at Bhopal, Damoh, Dewas, Indore, Jabalpur, Katni, Maihar, Mandideep, Pithampur, Ratlam, Sagar, Satna, Singrauli, Ujjain, Bhilai and Bilaspur. Air quality monitoring is still very limited in the central region. Cities in MP have data available for over two years; but real time monitors in Chhattisgarh became operational only in the latter half of 2021, which limits the possibility of assessing long term trends. Therefore, the data is indicative of the current status of air quality and seasonal variations in particulate pollution in medium and smaller cities in the region, the CSE release said.

Northerly winds trigger chill in city, max temp dips

Kochi: While it is not very noticeable and strong as a heavy rainfall or intense heat, chill conditions have been reigning in different parts of the city in the past one week. Doctors have also noted an increase in the number of people with viral fevers, cough and cold amidst the rising cases of Covid-19, with the Omicron variant behind the surge. The day temperatures have dropped by a degree or two over the past week. "We are receiving cold northerly winds which are blowing along both the coasts. This is because of the cold wave conditions prevailing in north and central India," said S Abhilash, director, ST Radar centre, Cochin University. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that cold wave conditions have intensified in the northwest, central and east India. Maximum temperatures in the city dipped to 30 degrees Celsius this week compared with 31-32 degrees Celsius recorded in the first two weeks of this month. The weather has been very dry too. According to IMD data, the city recorded 21.4 degrees Celsius on January 26, 2021 and January 12, 2020 which was the lowest in the month in both the years. In its monthly forecast on temperatures, the weather department said that below normal maximum temperatures are likely in the peninsular region. Healthcare experts said that it is likely that the weather is also playing a role in the rising cases of Covid-19. “Cold, cough and viral fevers peak during winter more than any other season. The winds could speed up the spread of the infection because we are not seeing it contained in homes alone. It is spreading fast in neighbourhoods too,” said Dr George M Justin, senior pulmonologist in a city hospital. He said that regional viral infections can act as a trigger for people with chronic or borderline asthmatic patients, especially people living in areas with smog or fog. People exposed to vehicular pollution, living by the roadsides and industrial areas are vulnerable to these subtle changes in temperatures. According to a study done by the Centre for Science and Environment, Kochi city has not been able to sustain the air quality gains of 2020. Within the city, Vyttila has the worst air with its December average adding up to 56 microgram per cubic metre (ug/m3). Udyogamandal has the least polluted air with a 33 ug/m3. The latest report by Greenpeace India, analysing the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)'s data from 10 major cities of southern India reveals that average pollution levels in the cities far exceed the latest WHO guidelines. The report says that the PM 2.5 levels in Kochi exceeded 4-5 times along with Chennai, Mysuru and Pondicherry. The primary contributors to worsening air quality are fossil fuel powered infrastructural development, industries, transport, waste burning and construction activity. Chronic exposure to air pollution increases the likelihood of asthma, low birth weight, depression, schizophrenia, diabetes, stroke, lung cancer and can cause premature deaths.

Air quality bad in Bengaluru, Mysuru, says Greenpeace report

The revelation was made by environment watchdog Greenpeace India, which has cited data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for the period November 2020 to November 2021. The three major cities of Bengaluru, Mysuru and Mangaluru in Karnataka are among 10 in South India with air pollution levels exceeding World Health Organisation guidelines despite pandemic-linked lockdowns and restrictions. The revelation was made by environment watchdog Greenpeace India, which has cited data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for the period November 2020 to November 2021. This is in sharp contrast to a recent report by the Delhi-based Centre of Science & Environment lauding Bengaluru’s ability to hold on to gains in air quality made during the Covid-19 lockdown. Apart from the three Karnataka cities, air pollution data from Hyderabad, Chennai, Amaravati, Visakhapatnam, Kochi, Puducherry, and Coimbatore were also analysed. “Coimbatore, Bengaluru, Mangaluru and Amaravati saw annual particulate matter (PM) 2.5 (particles lesser than 2.5 microns) levels exceed WHO guidelines of 5 micrograms per cubic metre by almost 6 to 7 times, while in Mysuru, Kochi, Chennai and Pondicherry, PM2.5 levels exceeded the guidelines by 4 to 5 times,” the report said. While the annual PM10 (less than 10 microns) levels in Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad exceeded the prescribed WHO guidelines of 15 micrograms per cubic metre by 6 to 7 times, Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Amaravati, Chennai and Kochi recorded data that exceeded the limit by 3 to 4 times. Fossil fuel-powered infra work a worry Mysore, Coimbatore and Pondicherry recorded PM10 levels that exceeded the WHO guidelines for safe air by 2 to 3 times. Greenpeace said the primary contributors to the worsening of air quality are fossil fuel-powered infrastructure development works, industries, transport, waste burning and construction activity. It pointed out that this analysis is a much needed reminder that air pollution is a public health crisis that is not confined to just North Indian cities, and if not acted upon now, the South Indian cities too are not far from cities like Delhi in terms of health and economic impact due to air pollution. Chronic exposure to air pollution increases the likelihood of asthma, low birth weight, depression, schizophrenia, diabetes, stroke, lung cancer and can cause premature deaths, the report added. “We have to prioritise the immediate shift to clean energy and transport to stop more damage. If we look at Bengaluru’s PM10 data, the annual average in most stations is exceeding not only the WHO guidelines, but National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) levels too,” said Avinash Chanchal, Campaign Manager, Greenpeace India. The report suggests that the governments in the southern states and city administrations promote decentralised renewable energy solutions such as rooftop solar, creating integrated public transport, non-mechanised transport-friendly infrastructure and addressing other contributors like waste burning, construction sector, industrial emissions and biomass burning. “The pollution control boards must realise that no level of air pollution is safe and even the long-term exposure of lower concentrations of air pollution can severely impact human health. Thus, the CPCB must revise the current NAAQS for all pollutants based on WHO’s proposed interim target and gradually achieve the revised standards,” Chanchal added.

A system in shambles

Environmental impact assessment has become a convoluted exercise, designed for futility Ranking is an instrument to reward the best performers — but more importantly, it signals the best way to do things. So, when the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) says that it will rank the state environmental impact assessment authorities based on the speed at which environmental approvals are given, it basically implies that all it cares about is the "clearance" of projects, not the quality of the assessment or the ability to ensure that the environmental impacts of development projects are mitigated. You could argue that time taken is not an indicator of the level of scrutiny — and that MoEFCC's notice is designed only to hold the assessment committees accountable and to ensure that projects are not unnecessarily delayed. But it is not that simple. The fact is this "ranking" is the final nail in the already built coffin of environmental assessments. Over the past decade or so, government after government has systematically decimated the process of decision-making that would allow for assessment or scrutiny. It is a sham and a farce, and in my view this direction by the ministry — set up to purportedly safeguard environmental interests — has only made its contempt for its self-built process apparent. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) started way back in 1994, when development projects were few and the process remained uncontested. The rot took hold from the early 2000s when "building" projects were included in this system of scrutiny.

Strengthen regulation of GM food; ‘Ban GM food’-demand unreasonable

But the regulatory landscape must be founded on scientific rigour The anti-GMO activists’ demand that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) scrap its draft Food Safety and Standards (Genetically Modified or Engineered Foods) Regulations, 2021, and summarily disallow GM food/ingredients, is certainly ill-founded and unscientific. The activists contend that the move to allow food products in the market with a “contains GMO” label, if any of the individual ingredients of a product making up 1% of more of the product is of GM origin, is a tacit approval of imports of GM food. But, the fact is the Indian consumer is already exposed to GM-food products, directly and indirectly. The Centre for Science and Environment reported in 2018 that 32% of the 65 food products available in the market that it tested had GMO content; nearly 80% of these products were imported. Besides, GM-crop based animal feed and imported animal and plant produce that likely have GM origins/exposure are currently marketed in India, though very likely adhering to provisions of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. Against this backdrop, labelling GM origin food benefits the consumer, helping her decide between a GM product and a non-GM alternative. That said, the food standards & safety regulator—and the government—must take a nuanced view of the objections. India has the laboratory capacity to detect as low as 0.01% GM content. So, the 1% threshold is indeed too high; the standards must not just enable food safety but also choice for the discerning consumer—quite in the spirit of the strict organic certification standards, or even the Delhi High Court’s recent directive that food businesses must make explicit the vegetarian/animal origin of each ingredient in a dish/food product. Indeed, the FSSAI should mandate the explicit mention of GM content, with the packaging indicating the exact degree to which the product contains each individual GM ingredient. The provision in the draft regulation that holds that FSSAI approval of a specific GM-origin food/ingredient holding unique identification from the Biosafety Clearing House (established under the Cartagena Protocol), OECD, etc, will be universal needs relooking. First, the FSSAI needs to clearly list the jurisdictions/authorities whose approval will be acceptable for the purposes of this provision; ‘etc’ must not allow approvals by authorities that may not have an acceptable rigour of testing—indeed, even between developed jurisdictions, there is hardly any uniformity of such rigour. Second, in the context of consumables such as gut biome enhancers, microbes-based food supplements, which may contain multiple Living Modified Organisms, there is a need to conduct local studies to determine that the interplay of such organisms is safe. Regulation 4(12) in the FSSAI draft holds that GM-based ingredients can’t be used for any infant food. It is true that running safety tests on infants is a near-impossibility. But, if the FSSAI has reservations about GM-content in infant consumables, should this not hold for at least the years of early development? Genetic modification playing a larger role in food technology is unavoidable in the long run, and in many cases, could even be desirable. For a country like India that aims to boost nutrition levels among its vulnerable population, a product like golden rice—rice fortified with Vitamin A—is manna; India has high levels of Vitamin-A-deficiency-related vision loss. Without a scientific attitude towards GM-foods, we won’t be able to benefit from the development of genetically-engineered golden rice. At the same time, the regulatory landscape should inspire faith among the masses through scientific rigour. For that, FSSAI must relook its draft regulations and plug gaps.

We, The People, Found 73 Constitutional Wrongs, Sir! https://www.livelaw.in/columns/73rd-republic-day-73-constitutional-wrongs-190397

The people of India are celebrating the 73rd Republic Day of India, today, the day on which, 72 years ago, we the people of India, gave unto ourselves.. 66.Article 48A imposes an obligation to protect and improve environment and safeguarding forests. The State of India's Environment Report 2021 released by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in June 2021 with comprehensive data on subjects such as Forest, Climate Change, Habitat, Water, Air Pollution, Rural Development, Biodiversity, and Industry has stated that India ranked 117 out of 180. In achieving 17 SDGs (sustainable development goals) India slipped to 117 in 2021 from 115 in 2020. Challenges such as hunger, low food security, achieving gender equality, fostering innovation are the reasons why India's rank slipped in 2021. India ranks below four South Asian nations such as Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

देश के कई महानगरों से बेहतर है गार्डन सिटी की हवा

बेंगलूरु. एक ओर जहां देश के कई महानगर वायु गुणवत्ता को सुधारने पर एड़ी-चोटी का जोर लगाने के बावजूद कोई खास सफलता नहीं पा रहे हैं वहीं हाल ही वायु प्रदूषण के एक अध्ययन ने बेंगलूरु के लिए अच्छी खबर दी है। गार्डन सिटी वर्ष 2020 में हुए लॉकडाउन के दौरान वायु गुणवत्ता के जिस स्तर पर पहुंची थी, उसे लगभग बरकरार रखा गया है। विज्ञान और पर्यावरण केंद्र (सीएसई), नई दिल्ली की ओर से जारी विश्लेषण में कहा गया है कि बेंगलूरु के लिए वर्ष 2021 में वायु गुणवत्ता की दृष्टि से अच्छे दिनों की संख्या 208 थी। आंकड़े बताते हैं कि 2020 में लॉकडाउन के दौरान यह संख्या 214 दिनों की तुलना में मामूली रूप से कम है। सबसे प्रदूषित और सबसे साफ-सुथरे इलाके दिलचस्प बात यह है कि शहर के भीतर आवासीय इलाका बापूजी नगर प्रदूषण की दृष्टि से सबसे ज्यादा प्रभावित था। यहां दिसंबर माह की औसत रिकॉर्डिंग 76 यूजी/एम3 पाई गई जबकि औद्योगिक केंद्र होने के बावजूद पीन्या दिसंबर 2021 के लिए 36 यूजी/एम3 मासिक औसत के साथ सबसे कम प्रदूषित हवा वाला क्षेत्र रहा। कचरा जलाने से उत्सर्जन के कारण वायु प्रदूषण सीएसई में अर्बन डेटा एनालिटिक्स लैब के प्रोग्राम मैनेजर अविकल सोमवंशी के अनुसार बापूजी नगर जैसे क्षेत्रों में वाहनों के यातायात और घरेलू कचरा जलाने से उत्सर्जन के कारण वायु प्रदूषण बढ़ जाता है, जबकि पीन्या में बेहतर विनियमन और निगरानी ने प्रदूषण कम करने में मदद की। वे कहते हैं कि वास्तव में, औद्योगिक केंद्रों की तुलना में बीटीएम-लेआउट और जयनगर में एक्यूआई बदतर है। विश्लेषण में बेंगलूरु के दस निरंतर परिवेशी वायु गुणवत्ता निगरानी स्टेशन (सीएएक्यूएमएस) शामिल हैं, जिनमें से दो स्टेशनों - सिटी रेलवे स्टेशन और सेनेगुरवाहल्ली से 2021 (जून से दिसंबर) की दूसरी छमाही के लिए डेटा उपलब्ध नहीं था। कर्नाटक के अन्य जिलों में बागलकोट, बीदर, चामराजनगर, चिक्कबल्लापुर, चिकमगलूरु, दावणगेरे, गदग, हासन, हुब्बल्ली, कलबुरगी, कोलार, कोप्पल, मडिकेरी, मेंगलूरु, मैसूरु, रायचूर, रामनगर, शिवमोग्गा, उडुपी, विजयपुरा और यादगीर में एक-एक स्टेशन भी इसमें शामिल किया गया। गदग और कलबुरगी में भारी वायु प्रदूषण गदग और कलबुरगी में भारी वायु प्रदूषण पाया गया। रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है कि इन शहरों में एक्यूआई बहुत खराब श्रेणी को पार कर सकता है लेकिन यहां पर्याप्त डेटा उपलब्ध नहीं है। सर्दियों में सबसे खराब साप्ताहिक प्रदूषण के दौरान गदग ने साप्ताहिक औसत 192 यूजी/एम3 दर्ज किया जो इसके वार्षिक औसत का लगभग पांच गुना है। वहीं दिसंबर के मध्य में कलबुरगी ने 104 यूजी/एम3 दर्ज किया। वहीं एनओ2 कॉन्सेंस में कलबुर्गी ने मासिक एनओ2 स्तरों में 5.8 गुना उछाल दर्ज किया। वहीं हुब्बल्ली ने नवंबर, अक्टूबर और सितंबर के महीनों की तुलना में 3.3 गुना अधिक बढ़ोतरी दर्ज की। रिपोर्ट के अनुसार हवा में सतही ओजोन (ओ3) की मात्रा में उल्लेखनीय वृद्धि हुई है। कलबुर्गी में 93 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर और उडुपी में 81 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घनमीटर। तत्काल कार्रवाई जरूरी सीएसई के अनुसंधान कार्यकारी निदेशक अनुमिता रॉय चौधरी के अनुसार साल भर स्वच्छ वायु मानकों को पूरा करने के लिए सभी राज्यों में घरों में वाहनों, उद्योग, बिजली संयंत्रों, अपशिष्ट जलाने, निर्माण और ठोस ईंधन के उपयोग से होने वाले प्रदूषण को नियंत्रित करने के लिए सभी क्षेत्रों में तत्काल कार्रवाई की आवश्यकता है।

मुंबईतील हवेची गुणवत्ता खराब, धुके आणि धूळ वातावरणात असल्याने दृश्यमानता कमी झाली

मुंबईतील हवा आज सगळ्यात खराब असल्याचं समोर आलं असून येथे Air Quality Index 267 वर गेल्याची नोंद झाली आहे. मालाड येथील 'Air Quality Coordinates' 436 म्हणजेच 'Acute pollution' या श्रेणीत होता. भांडुप येथे 336, माझगाव येथे 372, वरळी येथे 319, वांद्रे कुर्ला संकुल येथे 307, चेंबूर 347, अंधेरी 340 असा हवा गुणवत्ता निर्देशांक नोंदवला असून या ठिकाणांवरील हवा अतिवाईट श्रेणीत आहे. तर कुलाबा अथे हवा गुणवत्ता निर्देशांक 221 म्हणजेच वाईट श्रेणीत आहे. मुंबई समुद्र किनाऱ्यावर धोक्याची चादर पाहायला मिळत आहे. येथे वातावरणात दृश्यमानता कमी असल्याने कमी दिसत आहे. समुद्रात मोठ्या प्रमाणावर धुके आणि धूळ वातावरणात असल्याने दृश्यमानता कमी झाली आहे तसेच आकाशात धुरकट दिसून येते. सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट द्वारे क्षेत्रीय वायु प्रदूषणाच्या पातळीवर एका विश्लेषणद्वारे निष्कर्ष काढण्यात आले आहे की समुद्रच्या जवळीकने राजधानी मुंबईत वाढत्या वायु प्रदूषण थांवण्यात मदत केलेली नाही. या विश्लेषणात 1 जानेवारी 2019 ते 9 जानेवारी 2022 च्या काळासाठी PM2.5 एकाग्रतेत वार्षिक आणि मोसमी रुझान आकलन होते. या दरम्यान मुंबईत खराब दिवसांची संख्या दुप्पट झाली आहे जेव्हाकि चांगल्या दिवसांत 20 टक्क्यांची कमी आली आहे. सीएसई विश्लेषण संकेत देत आहे की मुंबईत खराब वायु गुणवत्ता असलेल्या दिवसांची संख्या वाढत आहे. शहरात पूर्व मध्य मुंबईत कुर्ला येथे केवळ 55 टक्के डेटा होता तर उत्तरी मुंबईत मलाड येथे 68 टक्के होता.

Induction of e-bus in DTC: Remedy or political stunt

The DTC and Delhi Integrated Multi-modal Transit System (DIMTS) jointly own about 6,900 buses in the city responsible for providing inland transport to the commuters. These and other forms of transport are often blamed for the seemingly uncontrollable air pollution that has been dogging not only the capital but large chunks of north and central India for years. In what he called the first step towards combatting air pollution caused by vehicular traffic, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal flagged off the first e-bus inducted into the DTC fleet on January 17, 2022, from Indraprastha Bus Depot. Induction of e-bus seems the right step considering the environmental degradation Delhi has undergone over the years. However, integrating just one bus in a fossil fuel-run jungle will be as ineffective as cutting a tree with a penknife. The government, however, is pushing to get over 1500 e-buses under the ‘Centre’s Grand Challenge’ scheme. Under the scheme, Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL), a state-run joint venture of Public Sector Units (PSUs), will provide 3,472 e-buses to nine metropolitan cities viz Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Surat and Pune. Delhi has made an ambitious pitch for acquiring 1,500 buses under the scheme and the government hopes to get at least 1,000 buses. While the move of inducting e-buses in the Delhi fleet sounds has been welcomed by some environmentalists, the question still remains whether it would be enough to solve the perpetual problem of air pollution? Delhi has been the centre of attention for its air pollution for nearly two decades, earning the dubious title of the world’s most polluted capital city. It was only during the strict and strenuous lockdown in 2020 that Delhi’s air quality meter had touched green. The problem of air pollution is so rampant in the city that the Supreme Court had to establish Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in 2021. The commission took some drastic measures to bring the menace under control. Schools were shut, along with construction and industrial processes for a significant amount of time. The Delhi government quite easily uses stubble burning in the neighbouring states as a shield to protect itself from the prying eyes of the Supreme Court as well as the public. However, the main factors for the capital’s air pollution remain urban construction activities, industrial emissions and vehicular pollution. Arvind Kejriwal flagged the e-bus on January 17, 2022 (Photo: Twitter) Delhi government acknowledging one of the prime urban factors behind air pollution is focused to make amendments and helping to rectify the problem has taking steps to rectify one of its urban factors, vehicular pollutions. As per Statista, a German company specialising in market and consumer data, there were about 33,300 buses running in Delhi for 2022, among which the DTC owns approximately 6,900 buses while the rest are privately owned by organisations. With so many buses, the impact of induction of e-buses, even if Delhi got its desired 1500, would be meagre. “Certainly, one bus cannot make the difference. It has to be about a fleet, and Delhi in any case has a target to expand its bus fleet to meet its basic public transport requirement. Therefore, augmentation of buses to the desired number and then targeted electrification, that is what is needed right now. Delhi can certainly set a very high level of ambition given the fact that Delhi has notified its electric vehicle policy its targeting for 25 pc electrification by 2024,” Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director, Centre for Science and Environment tells Media India Group. Roychowdhury believes that Delhi needs to set a plan before proceeding further with its goal of electrification. “A much larger electric vehicle fleet is required in all segments, including buses. This procedure is just coming, but clearly what we have to plan for, target for and require is a much-upscaled plan for targeted electrification of the fleet. So, Delhi is in the process of purchasing new electric buses. Hence, the bus procurement needs to be designed for rapid electrification,” she says. The Delhi government also needs to focus not only on the buses under DTC but also Delhi Integrated Multi-modal Transit System (DIMTS). Both the fleets need to be updated and electrified in order to make an impact. “Delhi has a hybrid system; it has DTC and it has DIMTS. So together whatever bus procurement policy Delhi has to adopt today it has to be linked to electrification. In fact, its new fleet can be fully electrified or majorly electrified and that targe can be easily set. In any case, Delhi’s EV policy is talking about 25pc total electrification by 2024,” observes Roychowdhury. It’s not just about buses says Roychowdhury. “Delhi has notified its electrification policy. But it is not just about buses, while buses need to be done, Delhi will also have to take action to electrify all the vehicular segments to meet its set target. So, the entire upcoming fleet needs to be electrified. For that, milestones are required to be set by the authorities,” she adds. “The number for electrification depends and it is not the final number. We are in 2022 already and they have set a daunting target of achieving 25 pc electrification by 2024 or within two years. They certainly need to make efforts to meet the target and then keep ramping it up. Delhi government has also started doing the needful, they have recently come up with a policy also for the targeted electrification for the delivery fleet and fleet aggregators. They are setting up a charging station network and incentives are also being designed to promote it. All the pieces that we have in the policy, they have started the implementation but now the whole question is how soon can they implement all of it,” asks Roychowdhury. Indeed, many policies that have seemed glorious or great on paper have fallen through due to poor implementation. The governments, both central and state, need to be focused and to work in close coordination to achieve this target and go beyond it. But achieving close coordination is often a tall order for governments that are more about politics than policy.

Budget can follow ‘ande ka funda’ path to tap the potential in beekeeping, horticulture, and aquaculture

Sunday ho ya Monday, roz khao ande…”— This popular jingle from the 1980s was probably one of the best nutritional advice given on national television. Part of the pro-egg campaign led by the <a data-ga-onclick="Inarticle articleshow link click#Small Biz#href" href="/topic/national-egg-coordination-committee" target="_blank">National Egg Coordination Committee</a>, the ad was run on television for years and helped in significantly increasing the per capita consumption of eggs in India. “There are over 1.3 billion people in the country with such a low per capita consumption of honey. A much smaller country like Germany has a per capita consumption of 2 kg per year. It is really important for the government to promote the consumption of honey and educate the people about its nutritional value,” he says, pointing out the scope of growth in honey. <br> “There are over 1.3 billion people in the country with such a low per capita consumption of honey. A much smaller country like Germany has a per capita consumption of 2 kg per year. It is really important for the government to promote the consumption of honey and educate the people about its nutritional value,” he says, pointing out the scope of growth in honey. <br> <br>What Mishra is looking for now is the same amount of promotion in other sectors, especially honey, in the budget. He says India’s per capita consumption of honey is around 50 gms per year. This number ranges from 250 to 300 gms globally. One of the biggest challenges in the sector is beekeeping, not getting stable earnings or a stable pricing structure. They mostly depend on other factors, such as crop cycles and foreign export demands. “They need the right flowering season to support bee migration. It also requires a lot of labour. At the same time, beekeepers and farmers need the right market linkage to sell their products,” Mishra explains. <br> <br>As for exports, the last two years have definitely been good for honey export and beekeepers got good rates, but the segment completely depends on the international market. “The US banned Chinese honey, which led to an increase in demand for Indian honey. This is very cyclic. There is no stable pricing structure. If there is no stability, why will anyone get into bee farming,” he says. <br> <br>One of the other important challenges in the sector is the issue of adulteration. A recent report by the Centre for Science and Environment found that honey from 10 leading brands were adulterated with sugar syrup. Mishra, however, rubbishes these allegations, saying that these issues need to be addressed in a very calibrated approach. The report said the brands failed the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR) test, a mandatory requirement for exports. Mishra points out that there are hardly any labs in northern India that can do all the required tests. “This calls for some budgetary allocation to improve the domain’s labs across regions. Each state should have at least two to three labs equipped to do all kinds of testing, which will not only help beekeepers but will also help the whole industry ensure quality and keep costs down. When I'm exporting a product, I have to send my samples to Germany for testing, which is an enormous cost in one sample,” he says. <br> <br>Small-time beekeepers cannot afford to do such testing. These farmers have 200 to 500 bee boxes to test, and they need access to labs to test. Otherwise, they depend on another company in the market to do the testing. The government should provide subsidised testing as bee-testing can be very expensive, he adds. <br> <br> <strong>Blue economy’s blues</strong> <br>Among the other niche sectors with great potential is aquaculture. The government has not been oblivious to the sector and has come up with programmes such as the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (<a data-ga-onclick="Inarticle articleshow link click#Small Biz#href" href="/topic/pmmsy" target="_blank">PMMSY</a>) to address gaps in fish quality and production as well as Blue Revolution and Blue Revolution 2.0. <br> <br>Rajamanohar Somasundaram, Founder &amp; CEO, <a data-ga-onclick="Inarticle articleshow link click#Small Biz#href" href="/topic/aquaconnect" target="_blank">Aquaconnect</a>, a leading aqua farmers’ network, hails these initiatives and credits these for having helped double seafood exports and promoted technology-driven farming across the industry. However, the sector certainly requires more effort. He explains that 95% of shrimp farmed in India are exported, contributing 70% of seafood exports’ value. The fish produced from land goes for domestic consumption. <br> <br>“At present, India’s seafood exports are highly dependent on a single species. Any shocks in the import markets lead to sudden price crash. It has a heavy bearing on the farmers. Also, we are yet to realise the export potential of aquaculture produce,” he says, highlighting that India needs to diversify within aquaculture. <br> A balanced approach in the seafood export portfolio can open more opportunities and promote the domestic market. But to do this, Somasundaram points out, it is necessary to have integrated aqua parks, quality checks and better access to finance &amp; insurance. Traditional farming practises are still prevalent in the segment, and this leads to disease outbreaks, high production costs and sudden losses, he says. “To accelerate the Blue Revolution, it is essential to promote digital solutions across the value chain — right from pre-production to post-harvest — to bring predictability, efficiency, and traceability. We believe that with wider promotion of technology-driven farming on the production front, farmers will be able to overcome risks, improve productivity, and realise higher profit margins.” <br> <br>The CEO of Aquaconnect highlights the importance of the adoption of technology. It is essential to incentivise farmers with better subsidies to adopt data-driven farming, farm monitoring &amp; automation tools. Subsidies in insurance premiums are also required to encourage farmers to increase production. Unlike agriculture farmers, fish and shrimp farmers are not provided with any premium subsidy. “Government support on premium will help farmers mitigate production risks. It will further help to increase the working capital limit for aquaculture farmers,” he adds. <br> <br> <strong>Need for fruitful efforts</strong> <br>Horticulture is another important sector that could do with some help in the budget. India saw a significant rise in agri exports last year and so has its contribution to the country’s <a data-ga-onclick="Inarticle articleshow link click#Small Biz#href" target="_blank" href="/definition/gross-domestic-product">GDP</a>. But some persisting issues hold the segment back.

Locals should manage biodiversity to avoid man-animal conflict: Expert

Prof Madhav Gadgil, renowned ecologist and head of the Western Ghats Ecology expert panel says locals close to national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserve forests should have the right to either demand payment for tolerating animals or cull them and use the meat and by-products In 2021, Anusaya Shamrao Mogarkar was attacked by a tiger while she was cutting grass near her home in Gadchiroli in Maharashtra. The 57-year-old woman succumbed to her injuries even as the villagers chased the animal away. In West Bengal, an elephant roaming the streets and creating panic among locals trampled to death an elderly farmer on March 21, 2021. A hyena attacked a man walking on a dirt road near Pune on September 8, 2021. From the apple orchards of Himachal Pradesh to the coconut groves of Goa and Karnataka, farmers are struggling with monkey attacks. In Kerala, the farmers are having a tough time dealing with wild pigs. So why is the human-animal conflict on the rise? “This conflict has been precipitated by concentration of unlimited powers in the hands of the anti-people Forest Departments enjoying strong support of the equally anti-people urban nature conservationists,” said Prof Madhav Gadgil, renowned ecologist and head of the Western Ghats Ecology expert panel. “The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 in the hands of the Forest Department is a very defective, counter-productive management tool. It entails grave abuse of human rights to life and livelihood and is not constitutionally valid,” Gadgil said while speaking on ‘Pitting people against nature’ at a webinar organised by the Pazhassiraja Memorial Library, Mananthavady as part of the 4th EK Madhavan Memorial Lecture recently. “Wild pigs regularly trespass on farmers’ properties and rob them of their produce. Yet the WLPA criminalises farmers resisting it and forces our protein-starved people to burn the corpse when they could happily eat the meat,” he said. Advertisement Animal populations will inevitably increase unless controlled by predation, disease, limitation of resources like food or accidental deaths as in floods and landslides. Gadgil said with 50 years of strict protection, the population of wild animals skyrocketed and are spilling out of protected areas. He says the animals have also lost all fear of people. “A friend and former chief wildlife warden HS Pabla of Madhya Pradesh once told me that losses of crops and property destroyed by wild animals run into thousands of crores. This is a rough and ready estimate as all of the forest and wildlife data details are shrouded in a cloak of obfuscation. The only available information comes from reports of unreliable surveys in some protected areas. But a substantial number of wild animals engaged in conflicts with people live outside the protected areas,” said Gadgil. ‘Wildlife act pits humans against animals’ A recent study, conducted by Centre for Science and Environment, said Odisha can see the highest-ever human casualties due to human-elephant conflict (HEC) in 2021-2022 than the years before. “At least 97 people have been killed in HEC from March 2021 to January 18, 2022. There have been 96 injuries. There are still two months to go before 2021-2022 gets over,” it cautions. What did the Wild Life (Protection) Act (WLPA), 1972 achieve? Gadgil said it extended the forest department’s stranglehold from forested areas to the entire country, firmly pitting people against nature. “It subjugated common people throughout India. One of the targets was the Chipko activists and Van Panchayats (village forest council),” he said. It was the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) under ornithologist Salim Ali’s leadership that took the lead in framing the WLPA. Being India’s premier natural history organisation since 1883, it was dominated by British merchants, civil and police officers and tea and coffee planters till 1972. “Some of the British tea and coffee planters were enthusiastic hunters and naturalists. They wrote brilliant accounts of Indian natural history in the journal of BNHS. EP Gee, a tea planter of Assam, was one of them. He endorsed the forest department’s confiscatory role and formulated WLPA with strong support from Salim Ali,” said Gadgil. Hunting is in human genes In the defence of hunting, Gadgil said, it is in human DNA. “The human gut consists mainly of the small intestine, responsible for breakdown of proteins and absorption of nutrients, while the gut of apes primarily consists of the colon, indicating a vegetarian diet. Human teeth have a thin enamel coating indicating that historically they have always maintained a meat-heavy diet. Given the choice, most humans today continue to consume substantial amounts of sea-food, birds or mammals,” he said. In olden times, humans (including Indians) have hunted and consumed meat of all species of birds and mammals on a large scale. Gadgil pointed to the prehistoric paintings on Bhimbetka rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh that depict scenes of hunting with spears and bow and arrow of a range of animals. India is a pluralistic country with a diversity of cultures and ways of making livelihoods associated with a variety of food habits and food taboos. “Our ancestors, as depicted in Bhimbetka, consumed every kind of meat. Today, some groups of Indians eat not only sheep and goat and chicken but also dogs and monkeys, parakeets and fruit bats and much more. No group has a right to impose its own food preferences on all other citizens of the country,” he said. The British conquered India, which was an ocean of trees. Gadgil said the Bharatpur wetland was the Bharatpur Maharaja’s hunting preserve. The king’s guest Lord Linlithgow, a British viceroy, boasted of shooting 4,273 birds on a single day on November 12, 1938, a feat commemorated with a stone plaque nearby. Looking beyond hegemony of forest department Gadgil says Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of a republic of self-reliant villages was set aside by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who thought only of catching up with the West. He says, Nehru launched India on a path of development at all costs, which in practice meant development at the cost of the weak and poor, not putting the last first, but putting the last down. The Forest Policy of 1952 reaffirmed hegemony of the forest department. “The West Coast Paper Mills was supplied bamboo at ₹ 1.50/tonne, while the market rate was ₹1,500/tonne. Bamboo is rapidly exhausted through unregulated use by paper mills. The mill polluted air and water with impunity. This was ‘crony capitalism’ at full play. Squeeze nature and the poor to fatter the rich,” said Gadgil. Gadgil said it is high time we stopped pitting people against nature. “The people with their traditions of taking good care of nature are rising to protect their environment. The Bishnois of Rajasthan called out Bollywood actor Salman Khan for hunting Chinkaras (black buck) and are doggedly pursuing a case that has been dragging on for years. The state is not playing its proper role in protecting wildlife in national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. We must work with people at grass-roots to take charge of conserving biodiversity including wild birds and mammals, through positive incentives,” he said. Australian sheep ranch owners shoot kangaroos as they see them as competitors to sheep. The government asks them for bids as to how much they expect to be paid in return for permitting a certain number of kangaroos to exist in their ranks, decides on acceptable bids and then pays based on a transparent system of verification. “This is an excellent model for decentralised decision-making. Let local self-government institutions make bids and be paid according to their conservation services,” said Gadgil, who had submitted the landmark Western Ghats Ecology expert panel’s report to the central government on August 31, 2011, designating the entire Western Ghat region as an Ecologically Sensitive Area. “Let people decide on a decentralised fashion. If wild animals come out of national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserve forests, people of those local bodies should have the right to either demand payment for tolerating them or cull these animals and use by-products as they wish,” he added. Biodiversity, according to Gadgil, should not be managed by a forest department-dominated mechanism, but through a democratically constituted system. “Biodiversity management committees in each LSG should be made up of members selected entirely by local citizens. Their constituency should in turn elect members to the district-level biodiversity management committee from that to the state level and finally to the national biodiversity authority. This system should develop a rational pro-people mechanism for management of all biodiversity, including the animals currently listed under the wildlife schedule,” said Gadgil.

दिल्ली स्ट्रीटस्क्रैपिंग प्रोजेक्ट (Delhi Streetscraping Project) क्या है?

इस परियोजना के तहत, देश की राजधानी में सड़कों को यूरोपीय मानकों, यानी 30 मीटर या उससे अधिक के लिए पुनर्विकास किया जाएगा। साथ ही, यह परियोजना पैदल चलने वालों के लिए सड़कों को सुरक्षित बनाएगी। यह परियोजना पारगमन वाहनों, साइकिल चालकों और पैदल चलने वालों के लिए सड़कों को संतुलित बनाएगी। इस परियोजना को हाइब्रिड वार्षिकी मोड में लागू किया जाना है। इसे दिल्ली के लोक कल्याण विभाग द्वारा लागू किया जाना है। सरकार इस परियोजना को लागू करने वाली एजेंसियों को परियोजना लागत का 60% भुगतान करेगी। शेष राशि का भुगतान तीस द्वि-वार्षिक किश्तों में हाइब्रिड वार्षिक मोड में किया जायेगा। साथ ही इन सड़कों के रखरखाव का जिम्मा यही एजेंसियां ​​संभालेंगी। योजना क्या है? दिल्ली के लोक कल्याण विभाग ने 9 सलाहकार नियुक्त किए हैं। ये सलाहकार सरकार को सड़कों के निर्माण पर सलाह देंगे। साथ ही, सलाहकार डेटा का विश्लेषण करेंगे, ट्रैफिक पैटर्न का अध्ययन करेंगे और समाधान तैयार करेंगे। साथ ही, वे यह सुनिश्चित करेंगे कि सड़कें टिकाऊ हों। यह परियोजना क्यों शुरू की गई है? Centre for Science and Environment के अनुसार, राष्ट्रीय राजधानी में सबसे अधिक घातक दुर्घटनाएँ होती हैं। दिल्ली में एक दिन में औसतन 5 मौतें सड़क हादसों में होती हैं। इसका मुख्य कारण पूरे शहर में सड़क की अनियमित चौड़ाई है। साथ ही, कुछ स्थानों पर सड़क के किनारे के अतिरिक्त स्थानों का उपयोग ठीक से नहीं किया जाता है। महत्व राजधानी की हर सड़क अनोखी और अलग है। यह परियोजना पैदल चलने वालों के लिए भी उपयुक्त जगह प्रदान करेगी। इस परियोजना के तहत दिल्ली की सभी सड़कों पर साइकिल के लिए विशेष लेन होगी। साथ ही इस परियोजना में शौचालय, वाटर कूलर, ग्रीन स्पेस, रेन वाटर हार्वेस्टिंग सिस्टम, लाइब्रेरी, स्ट्रीट फर्नीचर, ई-रिक्शा और लास्ट माइल कनेक्टिविटी के लिए जगह आवंटित की जाएगी।