GS Paper: GS3

What PM2.5 Pollution Really Means and How Can Delhi Cope Up With This?

On the morning of 29 November, Beijing woke up to air pollution levels not seen in over a year. The city’s government immediately issued an alert and ordered factories to stop or reduce production.

---

 

The same morning, Delhi woke up to pollution levels much higher than Beijing’s.

And it hosted the Delhi half marathon.

In the name of health awareness, the runners breathed air laced with pollutants exponentially beyond safe levels. And they inhaled 10-20 times as much air as a sedentary person does.

In sharp contrast, the embassies of Norway and the United States have taken urgent steps to safeguard their personnel. While Norwegian officials are set to get “hardship pay” for working in New Delhi, the US embassy’s school has cancelled outdoor activities for its students.

The stark difference in attitudes, perhaps, is because most Delhiites know little about how exactly the city’s air is killing them. Slowly. Daily.

The government has largely failed to make people aware of how the pollution affects them, what the main pollutants are, what precautions they should take, the types of masks they should wear, and suchlike.

It only dumps air pollution data on a rather glib website, on a page full of numbers and technical terms befitting a chemistry textbook.

There is no air warning system in Delhi that could alert citizens, shut down schools and prohibit outdoor activity when pollution reaches hazardous levels.

Most of all, though, the residents should know what exactly makes Delhi’s air so toxic. Even if you know what it is – the toxin is called PM 2.5 – there is no easy way to know how harmful it is.

So, here’s a primer.

Why are we talking about PM2.5?

Delhi’s air is not polluted as much with poisonous gases as it’s with really tiny particles known as PM2.5. And its levels are consistently 16-20 times higher than the prescribed standard. At the time of the half marathon, it was 48 times the limit.

Greenpeace recently found that even inside Delhi’s classrooms, PM2.5 levels were 11 times the limit.

What is PM2.5?

PM stands for particulate matter, while the number refers to the size of the particles. So, PM2.5 is like extremely fine dust whose particles are just 2.5 microns wide — that’s thirty times smaller than the width of a human hair.
The tiny size makes it harder to prevent PM2.5 from getting into the body, making it deadlier.

What exactly is PM2.5 made up of?

There is no easy answer to this since the toxin is identified more by its size than what it contains. It could be a variety of solid or liquid chemicals.

According to the United States’ Environment Protection Agency, a PM2.5 particle, depending on where it’s emitted from, could contain compounds of any of these four materials:

Carbon – from cars, trucks, waste burning
Nitrate – from cars, trucks, thermal power generation
Sulphate – from thermal power generation
Crustal – suspended soil and metals
While individual particles obviously can’t be seen without special equipment, large amounts are visible as haze or smog.

Why is PM2.5 bad?

1. Being tiny, these particles easily reach the lungs. From there, they can travel through the bloodstream and reach the heart.
2. Long exposure to PM2.5 can worsen asthma and heart conditions. They also cause runny nose, sneezing and coughing.
3. 5 coming from diesel vehicles contains carbon and is a carcinogenic.
4. It can also cause other heart and lung diseases, or make them worse.
5. It slow down development of lungs in children and can leave them with reduced lung function for the rest of their lives, according to the WHO.
6. Illnesses caused by PM2.5 kill at least 3.1 million people a year across the world.
7. The WHO estimates that exposure to PM2.5 reduces a person’s life expectancy by an average of 8.6 months.

How much of PM2.5 is safe?

The WHO says there is no safe level, PM2.5 is harmful in any amount. Still, there are standards on how much PM2.5 is too much.
As per the WHO’s own standards, the average PM2.5 levels should not exceed 10 mg per cubic metre in one year.
In one day, it should be under 25. Indian safety limits, however, are more relaxed – at 60.
WHO says PM2.5 level mustn’t exceed 25 mg/cubic metre. Yet, India has relaxed the limit to 60

What’s the best protection from PM2.5?

1. Protecting yourself from PM2.5 doesn’t require gas masks, but cotton masks that can block very fine particles.
2. It is recommended to use an N-95 mask, the same one used to protect against the H1N1 virus.
3. Unfortunately, planting more trees does nothing to solve the problem.
4. Since PM2.5 are particles and not gases, they can’t be processed by the leaves.
5. In fact, a high tree density can make the exposure worse because the extra moisture in the air would trap the particles instead of letting them fly away with the wind.
6. The only way to cut down PM2.5 levels is to stop it at the source – cars, factories, waste burning, thermal power plants. Until then, strap on the N-95s.

Only way to reduce PM2.5 is to stop it at source – cars, factories, waste burning, thermal plants

---

 

Source - CatchNews | Pic - Vox-cdn

Everything that you want to know on Delhi’s Odd-Even Policy

Delhi Government releases blueprint for Odd-Even formula December 25, 2015. In an attempt to curb alarming levels of pollution in the Indian capital, Delhi, authorities have announced that private cars with even and odd number plates will be allowed only on alternate days. Let’s see it in brief!

---

 

How will odd-even policy work out?

• The Odd-Even formula plan seeks to curb the number of vehicles plying in the national capital by limiting 4-wheelers on alternate days.
• Under it cars with licence plates ending in an odd number will ply on odd dates and those ending with an even number can run on even dates.
• This will be on a trial basis from 1 to 15 January, 2015.
• During this implementation, public transport including buses and the Metro will be run at high frequency.
• The government plans to run 6,000 more buses to accommodate those who can’t drive their cars.

Then, Who is exempted?

• The list of 20-plus exemptions from the restrictions include emergency vehicles, fire engines, ambulances, hospitals, hearses, prisons, VIPs, enforcement vehicles and defence ministry vehicles.
• Among VIPs, leaders of the opposition in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Chief Ministers of states, Judges of the Supreme Court and high court and Lokayukta are exempt. <CM of Delhi is not exempted>
• CNG and electric vehicles are also exempt.
• Two-wheelers and vehicles driven by or occupied by handicapped persons and female drivers are also exempt.

So, Will it really help clean the Delhi air?

• The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), has welcomed the “emergency action to reduce vehicle numbers on the road” but questioned the absurdity of exempting 2-wheelers, which account for more than 30% of air pollutants generated by the transport sector in Delhi, and women drivers.
• According to the scientists of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), 80 per cent of PM 2.5 air pollution is caused by vehicular traffic and reduction in its levels, even in outer areas of Delhi shows that reduction of four wheeled vehicles on roads.
• The latest set of ambient air data collected at 18 locations across Delhi through mobile dust samplers shows a consistent trend of declining levels of PM 2.5 air pollution levels.
• If we take 250-300 as an average, then there is a drop of 100 points in PM 2.5 levels. This means there is a drop in pollution by about 25 percent. [ Isn’t it great! ]

---

 

But, Where did the odd-even idea come from?

Car rationing has been tried in many countries around the world.

• Rationalisation of the movement of private vehicles has been adopted in many countries, starting with Sweden (Stockholm) and extending to other European countries.
• China (Beijing), Mexico and Colombia (Bogota) have also implemented such measures.

Let’s glance over some international experiments?

Beijing

• The city initiated the alternate day car driving restrictions just ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games and saw pollution levels drop by almost 20%.
• Currently, Beijing imposes this rule periodically, on days with high air pollution.
• The city has also restricted its car sales since 2011 to 20,000 car plates every month.
• However, they have made tremendous efforts to increase public transport such as bus connectivity and metro services. [ Lesson for Delhi ]

Paris, France

• The city has been imposing the odd-even number plate rule during periods of high air pollution. On such days, public transport is free.
• The rule was last implemented in March 2015 when a smog alert was issued.

Mexico

• The “Hoy No Circula” was introduced in Mexico around 1989 to combat air pollution.
• It called for citywide bans, one day per week, based on last digit of the number plates.
• For example, plates ending in 5 and 6 were not allowed to drive on Mondays while 7 and 8 were not allowed to drive on Tuesdays and so on.
• This measure was highly successful in bringing carbon monoxide (CO) levels down by almost 11%.
• However, in the long run, people eventually started buying more cars, rendering the ban inefficient. Therefore, it actually ended in a rise in CO levels in the long run by almost 13%.

Oh! Are these measures short-term?

• Yes, these examples show that the system has better potential as a short-term measure.
• It show that temporary restrictions on vehicles may not reduce air pollution in the long term.
• Drivers inevitably buy more cheap and inefficient cars with different number plates to get around the rules.
• Hence, such an initiative must be complemented by other measures to ensure that we have a stable system in the long run.

So, Are there any long-term measures available?

Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has suggested some long-term measures –

• There is a need to impose restrictions on diesel vehicles to promote electric and alternative fuel vehicles.
• The electric vehicles should be exempted from any such alternate number plate restriction.
• The number plate measure needs to be combined with high parking charges and intensified public transport strategy. <This should be the strategy for the entire period of poor air quality as well as a long-term measure>

International Example

• Paris has set an example by deciding to phase out diesel cars completely by 2020.
• London is also planning to ban diesel cars despite having a fuel quality as high as Euro 6.
• China has already banned diesel cars on roads.India, on the other hand, is still juggling between BS-III and BS-IV norms. <With accepted ground reality, we can not directly implement BS-V/BS-VI in one go>

What Delhi can do more?

Immediately link and scale up metro, bus, autos, taxis-walk and cycle –

• This is needed immediately to connect doorsteps of people with their destinations for effortless movement without the car.
• Connect each and every neighbourhood with efficient and reliable public transport service.

Provide safe and barrier free walking and cycling infrastructure –

• Redesign roads and road network to give safe and priority infrastructure to walkers, cyclists and public transport users.

Adopt parking policy and taxation measures to restrain car usage –

• Currently, parking charges in Delhi are one of the lowest in the world.
• Limit legal parking areas across the city and demarcate them on the ground. Impose high penalty for illegal parking on public space.
• Impose higher taxes on cars for their congestion and pollution impacts. Use the revenue to build public transport.<Congestion tax can be a good case in this regard>

How will it affect automobile industry sector?

• Delhi’s odd-even decision will upset powerful automobile lobbies.
• The stakes for the car industry are too high in the capital, which is India’s biggest car market.
• The city has the largest population of registered motorised vehicles in the country, about 89 lakh as on March 31, 2015.
• Of them, 26 lakh are cars, 28 lakh motorcycles and 27 lakh scooters.
• In comparison, the number of commercial vehicles like taxis, buses and three-wheelers is about 3.5 lakh.
• The national capital region (NCR) accounts for 12% of car sales in India and is the biggest car market in the country.
• The temporary ban, according to reported estimates, will prevent 12,000 new diesel cars from coming on the Delhi roads.

So, the Odd-Even vehicle formula restriction is a good initiative, it is only a start. To control congestion, reduce pollution and improve liveability, there must be a comprehensive strategy in Delhi.

At national level, how odd-even policy will affect Make in India programme? Critically analyse.

---

 

Bharat Emission Standards – Everything that you want to know

 

Recently, govt. has decided to implement Bharat Standards VI norms on April 1, 2020. This comes in the wake of pressure from the Supreme Court to implement clean vehicular fuel norms soon amid concerns about rising air pollution, especially in Delhi.

This policy is in line with our commitments at the Paris Climate Change Conference as well as public sentiments against rising air pollution in the cities, especially metros.

These are norms instituted by the Govt of India to regulate the output of air pollutants from internal combustion engine equipment, including motor vehicles.

• The standards and the timeline for implementation are set by the Central Pollution Control Board under the Ministry of Environment & Forests and Climate Change.
• The standards are based on European regulations and were first introduced in 2000.

What is the current status of emission norms?

Currently, BS IV norms are applicable in 33 cities in which the required grade of fuel is available.

In rest of India, we are still following BS III standards.

---

 

---

 

Let’s see a little background of its implementation

1991– India introduced the emission norms for the first time.

1996– The norms saw some tightening as govt. asked most vehicle manufacturers to incorporate catalytic converters to cut exhaust emissions.
Govt. also notified fuel specifications based on environmental considerations, which were to be implemented by 2000.

2000– Govt. notified BS-I and BS-II standards, which were equivalent to Euro I and Euro II respectively. <BS-II was for the NCR and BS-I for the rest of India>

2005– BS-III and BS-II fuel quality norms came to be implemented. <BS-III for 13 major cities and BS-II for the rest of India>

2010– BS-IV and BS-III fuel quality norms were introduced. <BS-IV for 13 major cities and BS-III for the rest of India>

It works on a two-pronged strategy to control the air pollutant output.

1. Reducing the Sulphur content in the fuel.
2. At engine level, it augments some equipment which reduces emissions.

What does Auto Fuel Policy have to say?

Auto Fuel Policy 2003

• It aims at addressing issues of vehicular emissions and vehicular technologies by applying fuel quality standards.
• It encouraged the use of CNG/LPG fuel in cities affected by higher pollution levels.
• It gives the timeline for adopting the Bharat Standards across the country:
  BS IV- 2017
  BS V- 2020
  BS VI- 2024

Recently, govt had constituted an Expert Committee under the Chairmanship of Shri Soumitra Choudhuri, to draft Auto Fuel Vision and Policy 2025.

Recommendations of Soumitra Choudhuri committee:

It presents the road map for auto fuel quality till 2025 for the country,taking into account the achievement under the last Auto Fuel Policy, emission reduction of in use vehicles, growth of vehicles and the supply and availability of fuels.

• It recommended nationwide fuel standards to be BS-IV. It has proposed to move to BS V from 2020 and BS VI from 2024.
• To upgrade refineries to produce BS-V petrol and diesel will need Rs.80,000 crore.
• It recommended Special Fuel Upgradation Cess of 75 paise/litre on fuel to meet the cost.

Let’s analyse Bharat Standards vis-a-vis Euro Standards

BS-VI is equivalent to Euro VI. However, many western countries have already graduated to Euro VI.

But, India is following European emission norms with a time lag of  5 years.

What are the challenges in implementing BS VI norms?

Engine

Engine development firms have cited a technological challenge in implementing the changes.

They have cited that jumping directly to BS-VI norms would give them little time to design changes in their vehicles.

Why is it challenging for auto firms to implement it?

There are two critical components which needs a fitment in the engine. They would have to be adapted to India’s peculiar conditions, where running speeds are much lower than EU or US. Industry estimates of required investment to upgrade from BS-IV to BS-V are to the tune of Rs. 50000 crore.

1. Diesel Particulate Filter– Its function is to remove particulate matter from diesel exhaust.
   Challenge: Problem is small cars with limited bonnet space would need major redesign to accommodate DPF. Temperature of 600 degrees Celsius is required to burn the soot in DPF, which is difficult to achieve in India due to low driving speeds.
2. Selective Catalytic Reduction Module– It reduces oxides of Nitrogen.
   Challenge: It needs injection of Aqueous solution into the system, for which separate infrastructure is needed for countrywide supply.

Fuel

There are questions about the ability of the oil marketing companies to quickly upgrade fuel quality from BS-III and BS-IV standards to BS-VI.

The objective of upgradation to higher emission norms is defeated, if the uniform fuel is not available across the country.<This has been seen in reduced efficacy of engines of BS-IV vehicles, while taking inter-state travel>

---

 

Published with inputs from Pushpendra