Air Pollution | Piecemeal interventions will not clear Delhi’s upcoming smog

(Representative image)

Once again Delhi is contemplating banning the entry of diesel-based vehicles and heavy motor vehicles into the city to curb air pollution during the upcoming winter. This time it is not a 10-15 days ban on the worst-polluted days, but for a duration of four months from November to February. Vehicles that will be allowed into the city include CNG-run commercial vehicles; e-trucks; all trucks carrying essential goods such as vegetables, fruits, grains, eggs, ice, milk, and other food items; and tankers carrying petroleum products. The ban does not apply to diesel-based private vehicles within the city limits.

It is estimated that about 70,000-80,000 trucks enter the national capital every day. Every year, the entry of trucks is banned following an increase in levels of PM 2.5/PM 10 or following directions issued by the Commission of Air Quality Management (CAQM) or on orders of the National Green Tribunal. This time the transport department appears to be proactive, and not wait until the AQI levels shoot through the roof.

Shanghai did it; but the question is whether Delhi is ready for such a drastic move? Clearly not, going by the statements from the representatives of the truckers association as reported in the media. The association says the move will cause losses worth crores of rupees, a decline in government revenue, a hike in prices of vegetables and essentials, and general mayhem and chaos. While some point to the prohibitive price of e-trucks, others are pointing out skyrocketing CNG prices to justify continuing use of diesel vehicles. The really angry ones are questioning why the ban is only on trucks, and not on private vehicles?

Is this Delhi’s war on air pollution, or on diesel? According to a  2018 report by the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the Automotive Research Association of India, in winter, vehicles are responsible for about 30 percent of Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution. Industries, including power plants, contribute about 30 percent; the burning of biomass in kitchens and agricultural fields results in 14–23 percent; and dust kicked up by vehicles and from the region’s unchecked construction boom contributes another 17 percent. Also in winter, farmers in Delhi’s neighbouring agricultural states burn crop residue. Conditions peak in the winter when cold-air inversions trap particulates close to the ground, and lower wind speeds deposit dust from Gulf countries and neighbouring Afghanistan, adding to northern India’s dust.

In the vehicular emissions category, diesel indeed is the deadliest fossil fuel. Diesel smoke consists primarily of black carbon, which has a strong global warming impact on the climate; nearly 3,300 time more than that of carbon dioxide over a 20-year time period. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), diesel is a Group 1 carcinogen , meaning that it causes cancer in humans. Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), and small particles known as Particulate Matter (PMs) — both prevalent in diesel fumes — combine to contribute to premature deaths. The tiny ‘PM2.5’ particles released by diesel vehicles are so small that they can travel deep into the lungs, aggravating breathing problems such as asthma, and leading to the worsening of heart and lung diseases. All of which are on the rise in the national capital, and make a good case for diesel-free Delhi.

Earlier this year the transport department de-registered around 200,000 diesel-based cars that are over 10 years old in New Delhi, leaving the chagrined vehicle owners with options of either retrofitting them with electric kits or sending the vehicles to scrap yards following orders from the National Green Tribunal. In a classic NIMBY (not in my backyard) move, most chose to sell them in neighbouring states with less stringent norms.

Incidentally, more than nine countries and a dozen cities or states have announced similar ‘bans’ in the last few years. Besides Shanghai, Paris, Madrid, Athens, Copenhagen, and Mexico City have said they would remove diesel cars and vans by 2025. Norway will phase out conventional cars by 2025, followed by France and the United Kingdom in 2040 and 2050, respectively.

So if the Delhi government is serious about phasing out diesel-based vehicles, and the four-month ban is the beginning of such a move, it must look at the Shanghai model to quell the unrest first by ensuring just transition. Livelihoods cannot be endangered without putting affordable alternatives and required infrastructure in place first. For instance, the Shanghai government granted subsidies to truck operators who phase out the vehicles ahead of schedules, ranging between 3,000 yuan (Rs 35,000) to 116,000 yuan (Rs 13.5 lakh) per vehicle depending on the tonnages. The transport department will also have to enhance the emission compliance of new and in-use diesel vehicles along the lines of China’s Clean Diesel Action Plan.

New Delhi cannot save itself with piecemeal interventions, it must go the whole mile if it is to reverse Delhi’s pollution woes.