Deteriorating air quality
1. VEHICLE EMISSIONS
2. POOR GARBAGE DISPOSAL
Some studies 9 claim that vehicle pollution alone contributes about 72% 10 of air pollution in New Delhi albeit this figure varies in different studies. In addition, domestic pollution, industrial emissions, road dust, and burning of garbage also contribute a large share in Delhi’s total pollution levels. 11 Although the levels of sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) have fallen, primarily because diesel taxis, buses and other modes of public transport have been phased out, there is a stark rise in the levels of nitrogen oxide (NO 2 ) concentration in Delhi. This is mainly attributable to an 83% increase in traffic in the city 12 due to the significant population growth. Furthermore, there is a greater use of cars and motorcycles which do not conform to current emissions standards. Traffic congestion 13 on the roads is another very important factor contributing to air pollution. The increase in four-wheeled vehicles (as opposed to bicycles and motorcycles) creates congestion and due to their size leads to a high frequency of traffic jams. To reduce pollution at traffic intersection points, time clocks have been installed to encourage cars to switch off their engines, although this is hardly ever observed, which further adds to the atmospheric pollution load.
The burning of garbage in Delhi leads to the emission of dangerous particulate matter into the environment. Despite authorities heavily clamping down on this practice, it is still prevalent and a contributor to Delhi’s worsening air pollution situation.
3. INDUSTRIAL EMISSIONS
The rapid growth of the industrial sector in India, particularly in Delhi is also responsible for the decline in air quality in the city. There are 900,000 14 industrial factories in Delhi; an 18% increase since 2005. Some of these operate in residential or non-conforming areas, in defiance of the 2003 Supreme Court judgement. In most instances, air pollution control devices are either inadequate or absent leading to the emission of pollutants directly into the atmosphere without any filtration. Newer factories have small chimneys, which restricts the polluting gases from escaping into the upper layers of the atmosphere.
9 http://cpcbenvis.nic.in/envis_newsletter/Air%20pollution%20in%20Delhi.pdf 10 ‘Status of The Vehicular Pollution Control Programme in India’, Pg.16 available at http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/status%20of%20the%20vehicular%20pollution.pdf 11 ‘Through the thick air’, by the Centre for Science and Environment available at https://www.downtoearth.org.in/coverage/air/delhi-air-pollution-56180 12 Ranjeet S. Sokhi, ‘World Atlas of Atmospheric Pollution’, Pg. 23, Fig.2.4 13 https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/dust-upnpaved-roads-traffic-congestion-local-factors-for-pollution-cpcb-26780/ 14 Report by the Economic Survey of Delhi
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