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Delhi's winter smog, a perennial problem, has once again reached alarming levels, with vehicular emissions emerging as the primary culprit. A comprehensive report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) reveals that vehicular emissions contribute more to air pollution in Delhi than other factors like stubble burning, road dust, and firecracker explosions, especially during the winter months. The CSE's findings underscore the critical role that the city's fragmented transportation system plays in exacerbating the already precarious air quality. With over 1.1 million vehicles entering and exiting Delhi every day, the strain on the city's infrastructure is immense, significantly contributing to the high levels of pollutants in the air.
Traffic congestion, a major issue in Delhi, further intensifies pollution levels, particularly in terms of nitrogen oxides (NOx). These pollutants constitute a staggering 81% of the NOx emissions in Delhi. According to the CSE, local sources contribute 30.34% to the city's overall pollution, with transportation alone responsible for more than half—50.1%. In comparison, neighboring NCR districts contribute 34.97%, while other regions account for 27.94%. Stubble burning, often scapegoated for the city's pollution, contributes only around 8.19% to Delhi's pollution levels.
CSE Director General, Sunita Narain, emphasizes that while stubble burning and firecrackers worsen pollution, particularly during winter due to meteorological conditions, the root cause of Delhi's pollution lies in its transportation sector. Narain stresses the need for year-round efforts, not just emergency measures like the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), to address the transportation-related pollution. To combat this problem, the CSE advocates for a comprehensive, integrated transportation system that prioritizes improvements to public transit.
The current state of public transport in Delhi is a major contributing factor to the pollution crisis. It is both underdeveloped and expensive. Data shows that almost 50% of public transport users in the city spend 18% of their annual income on commuting, nearly double the 12% spent by private vehicle owners. This higher expenditure is due to long travel times and frequent interchanges required for bus travel, significantly increasing the overall cost of using public transport. Despite the increasing demand for better services, Delhi's public transport system remains inadequate.
While the city's bus fleet has grown to 7,683 (including 1,970 electric buses) by July 2024, it still falls short of the Supreme Court's 1998 order to deploy 10,000 buses. Delhi operates approximately 45 buses per lakh population, falling short of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs' recommended target of 60 buses per lakh. Bus breakdowns have also become more common, rising from 781 incidents in 2018-19 to 1,259 in 2022-23. Although bus ridership is slowly increasing, it remains 25% lower than pre-pandemic levels for Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses and 7% lower for cluster buses.
Meanwhile, metro ridership has seen a recovery, although data collection methods were updated in 2019-20 to reflect corridor usage rather than the number of individual commuter trips. During peak traffic hours (5 PM to 9 PM), the average speed in Delhi's traffic drops to just 15 km/h, while NO2 levels spike 2.3 times higher than during the midday period (12 PM to 4 PM), when traffic speeds average 21 km/h. This congestion significantly worsens air quality, particularly during winter when atmospheric conditions trap pollutants near the ground.
To achieve its clean air targets, Delhi needs to reduce its emissions by 62%. However, the city's expanding urban sprawl has increased travel distances, while public transport use has declined by 20% over the past decade, particularly in bus ridership. This has put immense strain on Delhi's workforce. For unskilled workers, traffic delays cost them between Rs 7,500 and Rs 20,100 annually, while skilled workers lose Rs 9,900 to Rs 26,600, representing 4% to 12% of their income.
In addition, the city's parking demand has become a growing problem, occupying more than 10% of urbanized land. The space required to accommodate the new cars registered each year is equivalent to the size of 615 football fields. Experts suggest that measures like raising parking fees, as recommended in the GRAP Stage II, could help reduce private vehicle usage. However, they emphasize that a well-designed Parking Management Area Plan (PMAP) would be necessary to make such initiatives effective in managing traffic and improving air quality.
Resolving Delhi's air pollution crisis demands systemic changes across multiple sectors, particularly transportation. While short-term measures like GRAP can help mitigate the immediate effects of pollution, long-term solutions must prioritize improving public transportation infrastructure, reducing reliance on private vehicles, and managing urban sprawl. Addressing Delhi's pollution crisis requires a comprehensive approach that involves tackling the issue at its root: a flawed and inefficient transportation system.
Source: Vehicular emissions top contributor to Delhi winter smog: CSE report