New Delhi: Delhi government so far has been pinning all its hopes for clean air during the Commonwealth Games in October on people switching over to mass transport systems. However, with 1,100 vehicles being added to Delhi streets every day, despite a flourishing Metro system and new low-floor buses, environment experts say that unless private vehicles are curbed, nothing can be done to salvage the capital’s air quality.
The government also needs to urgently come up with a contingency plan for improving air quality that has to be tested before the Games. ‘‘Otherwise, Delhi will have to take drastic steps like forcefully removing vehicles from the roads, much like Beijing did even though it had started work on improving its air quality a good 10 years before it hosted the Olympic Games in 2008,’’ said Anumita Roychowdhury of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
At a round table discussion held on Monday — that was attended by environmentalists, transport experts, government representatives and Met officials — the unanimous consent was that Delhi’s private vehicle population needs to be cut down. CSE is going to take the matter up with the CM and other agencies concerned for formulating an action plan. As per the Central Pollution Control Board’s records, levels of particulate matter, oxides of nitrogen and atmospheric ozone have all shot up. Vehicular population is largely blamed for contributing to this. Dr Randeep Guleria, professor medicine at AIIMS, said that the levels of these pollutants were specially harmful for athletes. ‘‘We have documented that people who live or spend most of their time closer to main roads like shopkeepers and often students who come from outside Delhi complain most of respiratory problems. This is directly related to levels of air pollution that they are exposed to,’’ he said.
The Met department, along with Delhi environment department and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, is setting up various air quality monitoring systems that will give pollution levels of specific areas and also forecast for the next few hours at the time when the Games will be held. ‘‘The pre, during and post-Games air quality data needs to be made public to sensitise people about the need for taking drastic measures in reducing the number of private vehicles,’’ said Roychowdhury. Delhi is taking several other measures to monitor air quality, including setting up of radar systems in Bikaner and Jaipur that would indicate levels of dust coming into Delhi. The environment department has also launched several initiatives, but while the first phase has been successful, a major policy on transport is required for the city especially since the Games would take place in October when pollution levels are high, says Sunita Narain, director CSE.
According to a RITES survey carried out in 2008, the percentage of people using public transport dropped to 40 from 60 in 2001. ‘‘The government is busy creating infrastructure like flyovers, signal-free crossings and expanding roads, essentially making it even more convenient for motorists. Why would people switch over to public transport in such a scenario where space for pedestrians and cyclists has been eaten up,’’ she said.
