Delhi Pollution Control Measures: A Critique

Only after receiving a chiding from the Delhi High Court, which likened the pollution crisis in Delhi to “living in a gas chamber” did the Delhi govt. swing into action & announce a 13 point program, to control pollution. The main thrust of the program was to reduce vehicular pollution by reducing the no of vehicles plying on the road, by allowing either odd or even numbered vehicles, on any day, starting Jan 1^st 2016; this move was to be supplemented by delaying the  entry of truck traffic from, the currently mandated, 9 PM to 11PM to accelerate traffic during those hours & thus reduce pollution Other initiatives include dust reduction mechanisms by employing the use of suction machines on roads, starting April 1^st 2016 & immediately adding further green cover to sidewalks to prevent dust from rising.  Shutdown of the old coal fired thermal power plants at Badarpur – 40 years old - & Rajghat which have outlived their usual life has also been ordered. Surprisingly, no measure to tackle dust emanating from construction sites has been issued. Else, laudable measures they definitely are, but implementation would be a problem because of the known animosities between the Delhi Govt. & the Delhi Police commissioner, B S Bassi, who, incidentally has been accused by the former of corruption. 

The 300 page long, nuanced, IIT Kanpur report “Source Apportionment Study of PM 2.5 and PM 10”, submitted to the Delhi government in Nov 2015, once made public, would shed light if the right culprits are being attacked. A sneak preview of the report reveals that dust, trucks, 2 wheelers & 4 wheelers, in that rank order account for pollution. Logically it would then seem that action on 4 wheelers alone & not 2 wheelers is a sub optimal solution especially when the latter is about double the no of the former; as per the Delhi Statistical Hand Book 2015: Delhi has 88.27 lakh registered vehicles, including 27.91 lakh cars & jeeps and 56.81 lakh motorcycles & scooters, as of March 31, 2015.

Identification of specific contributors to PM 2.5 & PM 10 (Particulate matter of 2.5/10 micrometres in diameter) is urgently needed. Against a WHO mandated norm, for PM 2.5, of 25 micrograms per cubic meter, Delhi trends at around 450 & none can argue against an urgent action. It is time different lobbies like the auto & construction industry, transporters, private owners of vehicles at al are finally called to order & a co-ordinated strategy evolved based on the principles of “equity” & “sacrifice”. Support of neighbouring states too, to control “crop residue burning”, is required for it has an adverse impact on the air pollution levels in the Capital. A seasonality strategy is also needed since dust – the biggest culprit in summer – is replaced by others in winter.  

Governments of all hues at the state or the centre have been repeatedly been shirking responsibility. In July, a bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar lamented "The Centre is saying old diesel vehicles are not causing pollution, (while) Delhi government is saying vehicles from outside are also not causing pollution. Something must be wrong somewhere". The NGT has constituted three teams with officials from transport enforcement, Central Pollution Control Board and Delhi Police to check vehicles entering Delhi at different entry points & castigated the Haryana govt. for moving at a "snail's pace" in awarding the work on the Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressway; it is common knowledge that a Delhi bypass if build would reduce truck traffic in Delhi, thereby reducing pollution & traffic snarls.  It is baffling that issues of public interest, that ought to have been proactively taken up by the elected representatives, are usually  not & when the judiciary intervenes, either road-blocks are erected or worse still accusations of “judicial overreach” reach a crescendo.  Surely, if the elected class do their jobs diligently, the use of the PIL (Public Interest Litigation) or courts taking up issues suo-motu would automatically reduce if not cease completely.  Into such order, hopefully, should India emerge.

While “aspirations” of the citizenry to own a vehicle needs to be respected, “health” should take precedence while deciding “Public Policy”. Insistence on freedom to use vehicles with abandon, today, would mean additional healthcare costs tomorrow both for the individual & the government & hence caution is advised. Implementation of CNG, sale of unleaded fuel, ban on diesel run public transport & launch of the Delhi Metro were meant to tackle pollution; it has only helped partially, for the pollution levels have increased now. The city is in need of a “red Alert” now & is now in the infamous company of Beijing which incidentally has already announced one.

Noted Heart surgeon, Naresh Trehan, revealed that unlike citizens from rural & hilly areas breathing fresh air who have “pink” lungs Delhites consistently exposed to pollution have black “charcoal” lungs, which leads to asthma, bronchospasm, irritation etc.. Ingesting antibiotics is proving ineffective to address a cough problem today, because the culprit is pollution. Somnath Bharti, on CNN IBN, made a frightening revelation, that about 22 lakh children in Delhi suffer from breathing problems. If that were not enough, noxious fumes get absorbed by the entire body & could cause neurological problems; usage of masks, is a sub optimal solution because the masks available today address the problem of particulate matter alone & not noxious fumes.  Installation of filters with ionizers inside at schools, offices & homes, though pricy, would help, although the very thought of advocating such a solution indicates the edge of survival we have now reached. This leads us to the chilling realization: Are we creating a “sick” next gen?

Rather than evolve a strategic consensus on this issue, the chatteratti,  condemned the move as a knee jerk reaction while the opposition lamented the “inconvenience” it would cause the “common man”. Others sought waiver of the "vehicle rule" for women, arguing in favour of women safety. Yet others asked if there would be a 50% refund of vehicle tax since the concerned vehicle would now ply for only 50% of the time. 

There were some valid observations though. The strategy of asking Delhi Metro to take an additional load without arranging for additional coaches was ill thought for even if coaches are ordered today, delivery would be 3-6 months away; not sure if additional trips by Delhi Metro can be ordered since the assets are already stressed. While the govt. did plan to requisition the services of school buses to supplement the existing fleet of 4700 buses in Delhi, procurement of additional buses as a planned strategy to tackle the current eventuality would have helped AAP score many brownie points. 

There are valid apprehensions galore that people would either resort to using fake numbered plates or buy another car to circumvent the odd/even rule. While none would buy a car for a measure which is meant to be on a trial run for 15 days only, it cannot be denied that there is truism in the apprehension if the measure is a long term one; therefore, the need to make the cost of ownership of a 2^nd vehicle exorbitant through higher registration fees or a outright ban, even if it appears unduly harsh. However, knowing the “jugaad” mentality, of our population, a more lasting solution can only be achieved, by persuading the citizenry to “buy into” the measure.  Co-opting Delhi Police – the likely executing agency – is a must & they must increase the existing strength of Traffic Policemen from about 6500 now, perhaps by shifting some policemen currently engaged in VIP security.  Likewise, a solution on how and where to park vehicles, tugged away on charges of violation is needed; else traffic flow would be further disrupted adding further to pollution.  

Looking at all the concerns raised, the Delhi govt., is yet to announce a detailed strategy note. It would be prudent for the govt. to have a short term & medium term strategies; they should address the immediate problem of smog expected to peak during the first 2 weeks of Jan by closing educational institutions. This shall release all the school buses for immediate usage as public transport & hopefully confine students indoors, protecting them partially. A staggered timeline for starting & closing of govt. institutes, unlike the standard 10 AM to 6 PM, in existence today, would ideate traffic. As a medium term strategy the govt. should seek time from the NGT & launch a full-fledged drive only after putting the necessary infra in place; a public discussion on the IIT Kanpur report would be extremely useful. Else, chaos would reign supreme diminishing whatever little support the measure has currently evoked. Doing nothing or procrastinating is not a solution for it would mean residing in a gas chamber & one can very easily anticipate one’s destiny by visualizing what happened to the gas chambered Jews in Hitler’s Germany.  So act we must.