Clean it up

In a rapidly urbanising country like India, vehicular pollution is a silent killer ? a leading cause of respiratory diseases and premature deaths.

In a rapidly urbanising country like India, vehicular pollution is a silent killer — a leading cause of respiratory diseases and premature deaths. The capital is, of course, representative of the country but what is depressing about a new study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the forerunners of Delhi’s 1996 clean air campaign, is the slow reversal of the success story. The reason is the same as when the capital was counted among the ten most polluted cities in the world — the lack of political will to implement policy changes. In the current context, the Delhi government and other state governments as well have failed to heed new challenges. Increased income levels, poor transport facilities as well as sops provided to the automobile industry have meant a monumental increase in the number of private vehicles plying the roads. Even in many smaller cities like Raipur, Jalandhar, Kanpur and Lucknow, air quality levels are at a poisonous high and roads congested because of a lack of initiative and planning on the part of state governments. In this context, Delhi holds an example for the rest of the country on what should, and should not be done, in the fight against the deadly smog.

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Judicial prodding had resulted in the Delhi government converting the city’s public transport fleet to CNG as well as strictly enforcing Euro-II emission standards. But the government has been able to do little about the three-wheeler goods carriers using the most inefficient diesel engines, or the many trucks that illegally ply in the city. Along with developing the Metro rail link, the government must not neglect to improve the functioning of other public transport facilities, like buses (which presently form just 3 per cent of the total traffic) and autorickshaws, as well as increase public safety, one of the main disincentives for commuters, especially women, using public transport.

The city must provide incentives for the use of clean fuels and hybrid engines. These ‘second generation’ reforms are needed in the capital. But a vital pre-condition is the introduction of first generation reforms in other parts of the country. Delhi can’t be an island of clean air, while the rest of the country continues to use dirty fuels and technologies.