ES 200 Assignment

By: Harshit Shrivastava

18D070011
141
Delhi

Delhi, the capital City of India is jointly administered by the central and state
governments. It accommodates nearly 25 million people. According to a World Health
Organization survey it is the sixth most polluted city in the world. Air Pollution is the
fifth largest killer in India. India has the highest death rate from chronic respiratory
diseases and asthma. It was estimated that about 3000 metric tons of air pollutants
were emitted every day in Delhi.

This report focuses on the major reasons for the degrading air quality of the city, which
has spelled doom for the residents of this city.

Statistics of Air Quality in Delhi

AQI data from Aug 2017 to Aug 2018

Parameter Min (ug/m3) Mean (ug/m3) Max (ug/m3)
Summer PM10 131 181 263
Summer PM2.5 65 90 130
Winter PM10 201 314 441
Winter PM2.5 92 168 254
Data based on joint study by Automotive research Association of India and The Energy
Resources Institute for the Department of Heavy Industry Ministry of Heavy Industries
and Public Enterprises, New Delhi.

PM2.5 and PM10 are the major pollutants as far as Delhi NCR is concerned. O3 , NOx, SO2
and CO2 concentrations have found to be well within the NAAQS. India’s Ministry of
Earth Sciences published a research paper in October 2018 which attributes almost 41%
of PM2.5 air pollution in Delhi to vehicular emissions, 21.5% to dust and 18% to
industries. Air quality index of Delhi is generally Moderate level between January to
September, and then it drastically deteriorates to Very Poor, Severe or Hazardous levels
in the three months between October and December due to various factors including
stubble burning, fire crackers during Diwali and cold weather due to lower mixing rate.

ES200 Assignment.
Air Pollution in the city is largely due to vehicles. Delhi now has more vehicles than
Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata put together. Industrial emissions too are not alarming,
CPCB claims. Delhi does not have any big industry. Of course, there are about a lakh of
small-scale industries. The emission levels of these industries however, are not much of
a problem. It is the vehicular pollution both diesel and well petrol-induced which
continues to be the major problem for the capital.

The Energy Research Institute (TERI) have been monitoring the ambient air quality at
various locations in Delhi measuring levels of sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide
(NOx), lead (Pb), ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO) and particulates matter.

A detailed analysis of monitored ambient air quality data gives the status of air quality
of Delhi, which as follows:
• NO2 remain quite high near traffic intersections during peak traffic hours
(morning and evening).
• SO2 remains within the permissible limit.
• Particulate matter usually exceeds the permissible limit mainly due to natural
dust, vehicular emissions, burning of crops and partly due to emissions from
power plants and other industries. PM problem is more acute during summer
period to natural disturbance in atmosphere.
• In general, one can see that air pollution level is high during winter month and
create “winter syndrome” due to low temperature, low mixing depth, pollution
inversion and high traffic density.

ES200 Assignment.
Meteorological Issues:
Even after taking a number of initiatives, the pollution in Delhi is rising to a great extent.
There can be several reasons for this. Apart from the vehicular and industrial emissions,
local and seasonal factors also affect the air quality of Delhi. Delhi, being a land-locked
territory, is unable to dilute its emission using the moderating effects of sea; the
opportunity availed by other metropolitan cities, such as Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai.
Wind pattern also affects the weather conditions. According to a study, during the
autumn and winter months, approximately 500 million tons of crop residues are burnt in
Indo-Gangetic plains. The biomass burning in the state of Punjab coupled with the wind
which blows from India’s north and north -west to East direction during winters results
in combination of pollution and fog, leading to heavy smog formation in Delhi esp.
during winters. Thus, air pollution in Delhi is a trans-boundary phenomenon affected by
pollution from neighboring areas too.

ES200 Assignment.
BAU and Alternative Scenarios
The BAU scenario shows that the total PM10 emissions will increase by 54% during 2016-
2030 and PM2.5 will increase by 50% during the same period. The increase in PM
emissions can be attributed to increase in industrial emissions, which are expected to
double and in the road dust and construction sector, which is expected to increase by
about 75%.
In the biomass burning sector, it was found that a 6-7% reduction in ambient
concentration of PM in 2030 may be achieved by using agricultural residues as pellets in
households. LPG penetration leads to a reduction of 6% in PM2.5 and PM10
concentrations in 2030. Higher penetration of electric vehicles in transport like 2-
wheelers, buses shows the reduction of 5-6% PM by 2025-30.
The share of dust in PM10 concentrations in 2030 is high, that is 20% from road and
construction activities. Enhanced vacuum cleaning of roads leads to 6% and 2%
reduction in PM10 and PM2.5 respectively in winters. Banning of open refuse burning and
using it in waste to energy plants reduces PM10 and PM2.5 concentration by 3% and 4%
respectively by 2030.

How to improve Air Quality in Delhi

After doing some research on the various causes of pollution in Delhi, these are some of
the measures that I think will help improve air quality.
1. Reduce vehicular emissions :
• Restrictions may be imposed over the number of vehicles owned by an/a
individual/family
• Fines should be imposed for the parking of vehicles on the roads.
• Provision of parking space in any commercial establishment/shopping
mall/parks/residential apartments should be mandatory
• Increase LPG penetration in NCR by 100% in 2030.
• Higher taxes on Diesel, since it pollutes way more than petrol, to discourage usage of
diesel vehicles
• Decrease in duty on electric and hybrid cars so that they can be popularized.
• Improvement in traffic signal co-ordination for continuous traffic flow to reduce traffic
jam and idling time can also help to minimize pollution.
• Corporate firms/ government offices may draw up an action plan to have bus/cab
service for their employees with reasonable rates.
• Idea of working in different shifts for corporate firms / government offices to minimize
traffic at peak hours can be introduced.

ES200 Assignment.
 • Increase green cover along roads to meet upto national average; prevent illegal
felling of trees for road widening purposes.

2. Reduce Industrial Emissions :

• For the development of the country, establishment of new industrial units can not be
downgraded; however, effective control measures of pollution, and proper installation
of air pollution control devices and their smooth functioning must be ensured before
the establishment of any industry. After the establishment of industry, proper
functioning of the installed controlling units must also be ensured
• Emission from construction industries / activities can be minimized by adopting best
practices such as; use of water sprays for dust suppression, creating ridges to prevent
dust, compaction of disturbed soil, prevention of dumping of earth materials along road
side etc.
3. Reduce domestic pollution :
• Strict rules should be imposed for proper dumping and disposal of solid waste, since
unregulated burning results in pile-up of smoke and particulate matter in concentrated
form at one place. Regular functioning of all the installed solid waste treatment facilities
must also be ensured.
• Enforce strict ban on burning of garbage in open areas. Evolve a monitoring
mechanism for this and take stringent action against violators.
• Restriction on burning of fire crackers during festivals such as Diwali.

Apart from the methods stated above, there needs to be awareness among everyone
regarding the consequences of poor air quality and how each citizen can contribute
towards improving air standards. Mass awareness should be increased through
electronic and print media for all age groups towards sustaining the environment and to
reduce pollution.

If the points mentioned in the action plan are implemented, the air quality of the city is
bound to improve within the next few years.

ES200 Assignment.