THE GAS CHAMBER CALLED DELHI

The Pioneer , Sunday, December 04, 2016
Correspondent :
That Delhi’s air is polluted is no secret. But what the city witnessed in the weeks following Diwali — up until now — is a cause for concern. There is no room for more pollution in the Capital. It’s time to act swiftly, effectively, and urgently, write Shambhavi Shukla and Anisha Raman

More than a month after Diwali, Delhi is still gasping for breath. The morning after the festival of lights — or more aptly, the festival of lighting crackers — the only thing clearly visible was the thick, choking layer of toxic smog. That Delhi’s air is polluted is not a secret. However, what the city witnessed in the weeks following Diwali was a cause for concern. Monitoring stations in the city reported that the pollution levels were the worst in the last two decades. In fact, the levels reached the maximum possible limit most monitoring machines in the city are equipped to measure!

Recent research shows that air pollution is the top-most environmental cause of human deaths; it kills more people worldwide annually than road accidents, violence, fires, and wars combined. This ‘silent killer’ is not as dramatic or visible as car crashes, murders, terrorist attacks or natural disasters, but is even more dangerous as it contaminates vital organs, causing serious diseases and millions of deaths.

Starting from October 27, that is three days before Diwali, pollution levels were in the ‘severe’ category, and stayed so for the next 15 days. Although smog around Diwali is a temporary phenomenon, it was not so for Delhi this time. High levels of air pollution and smoke from the burning of agricultural residue from neighbouring States at a time when the weather was windless and cool led to the formation of dense fog that held the Capital hostage for 10 days.

Meteorological scientists explain that lower level anticyclone — a weather phenomenon, which prevents dispersion of smog — developed around Delhi on November 2. There was virtually no wind in the vertical column. The Central Pollution Control Board backed this, saying the average wind speed this year on Diwali was much less — 1.3 m/s compared to last year’s 3.4 m/s. Also, the mixing height this year was 492 m whereas in 2015 it was 590 m. The lower wind speed and mixing height do not allow wind to disperse quickly, leading to higher concentration of pollutants.

This was also the worst smog with very poor visibility in 17 years, according to the India Meteorological Department. The Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi recorded the worst levels of smog in 17 years on November 2, with visibility as low as 300-400 metres. The post-Diwali smog reduced the visibility to 800-1,200 m since October 30. Pollution during Diwali, other sources of pollution along with weather-related factors led to such abnormal levels.

There’s no denying Delhi’s own contribution of PM2.5 load from enormous sources like vehicles (20 per cent), road dust (38 per cent), industries (13 per cent), domestic sources (12 per cent), construction and demolition (8 per cent), municipal solid waste burning (3 per cent), hotels/restaurants (3 per cent), diesel gensets (2 per cent) and others.

Delhi has 8.8 million registered vehicles, including 2.8 million cars, and their number increases by around 1,560 every day. The expansion of the city and the growth of neighbouring towns of Noida and Gurgaon have significantly increased the vehicle influx. Though emission and fuel quality norms have become more stringent — from Bharat Stage II to IV in 2010 — the gains made through this have been nullified by the increase in the number of vehicles.

Two-wheelers constitute 80 per cent of the total vehicle sale in the country. According to an IIT-Kanpur study, two-wheelers contribute to 33 per cent of the total PM2.5 emitted from all vehicles. In the past 15 years, two-stroke engines have been replaced by fuel-efficient and clean four-stroke engines. Yet, two-stroke two-wheelers continue to account for a quarter of two-wheelers on the roads.

It is also urgent to shift from coal to cleaner fuels and new technologies in power plants and industries. Of the 16 thermal power plants, nine are coal-based. The IIT-K study says these power plants, along with the industrial pollution, are responsible for 11 per cent of the city’s PM2.5 emissions and 52 per cent of the NOx emissions.

Car usage is highly subsidised and owners pay a minuscule amount as one-time road tax, while buses pay a much higher amount annually. Moreover, parking is free in most parts of the city or is minimally priced in commercial areas. As a result, cars are aggressively encroaching upon urban space.

Though delayed, the smog drew reactions from all quarters — the State and Central Governments, the Supreme Court, the Delhi High Court, the National Green Tribunal, the civil society, and city residents. On October 29, Delhi’s Environment Minister Imran Hussain blamed the burning of crop residues in Punjab and Haryana for the crisis. The States countered by saying that bursting of crackers during Diwali in Delhi was the root cause.

The Delhi Government went ahead and ordered closure of schools for three days on November 6, shut down the Badarpur Thermal Power Station, stopped all construction activities, and banned bursting of firecrackers except on religious occasions. These steps brought temporary relief, but they cannot provide a permanent solution to Delhi’s pollution problems. It’s time the Government identified the factors that cause such a sharp rise in pollution levels in the National Capital and takes stock of the actions taken to curb pollution.

As heavy smog enveloped Delhi, several smaller cities showed up as more polluted than the National Capital. Such high concentrations of particulate matter in the atmosphere and calm weather conditions make a perfect recipe for a dense fog. Cities like Kanpur and Lucknow experienced very high levels of pollution post-Diwali.

The Government needs to urgently frame a clear emergency action plan. Pollution control measures require stringent enforcement and must kick in whenever such episodes of pollution grip Delhi. Vehicle restraint plans must be included in the emergency action plan.

Air Quality Index (AQI) is universally used as the tool to define how air pollution level impacts human health. The classification becomes a beacon for state machinery to step in with measures to combat pollution in cities. It also becomes an instrument to hold the Government or administrative system accountable in its action against pollution. Each classification/category demands a certain type of action from the state machinery. In India, while the AQI provides broad health advisories, it does not entail what urgent measures need to be taken by people to avoid exposure and what needs to be done to improve levels.

Across the world, action plans are created, and indices are made in preparation of climatic anomaly or severe level of toxicity in breathable air. In Beijing, the state machinery declares red alert days, when schools are closed, Government-owned cars have to be taken off the roads, restrictions are put on private vehicles’ movement across the city, private cars are allowed on alternate days according to number plates, freight vehicles and those transporting materials from construction sites are barred. Also, polluting factories have to cut down on emissions or shut down when the orange warning signal is issued, construction sites have to halt excavation and demolition operations, and there is ban on barbeques and fireworks on heavily polluted days.

Similar to Beijing, Paris issues a red alert on severe category days. Restrictions are imposed on vehicles’ entry into the city, especially diesel cars, on smoggy days.

In the US, by Rule 701 of the Air Pollution Emergency Contingency Action, industrial units are mandated to reduce combined emissions by at least 2-0 per cent of normal weekday operations. Fleet vehicle miles are reduced to restrict vehicular pollution and all non-emergency driving is discontinued. Restrictions are put on burning of liquid or solid fossil fuels in electric power generating systems unless a force majeure natural gas curtailment is in effect. The penalties for non-compliance include fines and loss of federal funds.

The US Government passed a legislation for lowering the national limit for a smog-causing pollutant. The Environmental Protection Agency has set a limit of 70 parts per billion for ground-level ozone, caused mostly by the manufacturing plants, utilities and vehicles, down from the earlier level of 75 parts per billion. The Ozone Standard, mandated under the Clean Air Act, targets polluting industries and imposes liability on the States to curb emissions from utilities, factories, refineries and other businesses and municipalities through installation of improved pollution control gear.

In 2015, when pollution levels in Italy’s Capital had exceeded normal levels for more than 30 days straight, officials banned private cars from 10 am to 4 pm. Rome also imposed alternate driving based on odd and even number license plates, akin to Delhi.

Singapore found itself in a similar position as Delhi earlier this year when it battled haze, an annual crisis sparked by forest fires in neighboring Indonesia. Schools were shut, and protective face masks were distributed in majorly affected areas. Outdoor events were cancelled and flights were diverted across Southeast Asia.

In the same month that Delhi was choking on smog, Tehran was witnessing severe levels of pollution. Schools were shut down, and a public advisory was issued to wear protective face masks. The City Council stated that 412 people had died because of pollution in recent days. Iranian officials estimate that pollution causes premature death of around 45,000 people nationwide each year.

Ingenious methods were adopted, like invoking of religious edicts, to rouse people to the critical condition of pollution, beseeching them to conform to pollution abatement practices. The office of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a religious edict that using cars during times of pollution without a good reason was religiously forbidden.

The Delhi Government should also use the index to inform people of the dangers of exposure and to take steps to reduce pollution. Emergency action needs strong enforcement and zero tolerance to ensure that the newly announced measures are effective enough to lower the severe peak levels. Restraint on vehicle numbers and diesel will have to be included in the emergency deal.

For more lasting and enduring impact on air quality, short and medium term measures should be stepped up to reduce pollution from vehicles, power plants, industries, waste burning, construction, and farm fires in a time-bound manner. It is also crucial to improve inter-State coordination to address smoke plumes from farm fires in Punjab and Haryana.

In Delhi, there is no room for more pollution. There is need to act swiftly, effectively, and urgently to protect public health.

 
SOURCE : http://www.dailypioneer.com/sunday-edition/agenda/cover-story/the-gas-chamber-called-delhi.html
 


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