(11th April 2015 – Indian Express) Massively Augment public transport system
Delhi based centre for science & environment (CSE)
16 years ago – security threat is not the gun, but the air.
Agenda :
- Advance the roadmap for fuel emission standards.
- Restrict diesel vehicles
- Make the transition to a much cleaner fuel CNG
Action Taken:
- SC took firm action
- moved to CNG
- Country cleaned up its fuel & advanced emission standard for vehicles
Result :
- Reduction in pollution
- Impact in terms of benefits to health
Since 2007 :
- pollution level has reached the dangerously toxic levels.
- This winter level of PM 2.5 – remained 3 to 4 times higher than the standard of safety.
- Pollution is o bad that it would cause “respiratory effects even on healthy people”.
Since the introduction of CNG :
- Explosion of personal vehicles (100% /\ in reg.)
- Even if each car is cleaner now (tighter emission standards & better quality of fuels), no.of cars /\ exponentially.
- Net result on pollution same.
- Diesel cars /\ from 4% to 50% (by Mid – 2000)
- Cheaper diesel used by rich car owners.
- Cities around Delhi has grown.
- By 2001, 1.2 million vehicles entered or left Delhi everyday, in direction of Gurgaon, Faridabad, Noida, Ghaziabad.
- Vehicle remain major contributor
- Non – Vehicle Source of Pollution
- Punjab & Haryana directed farmers to delay paddy transplantation to save ground water usage in peak summer.
- Farmers have no time to harvest paddy & grow wheat.
- They burn the straw.
2012 Study :
- Of over 11000 school students in the city found that every third child has impaired lung function.
Way ahead – Steps that must be Taken :
- Aggressive roadmap for clean fuel & vehicle technology in country (Not acceptable to powerful vehicle manufacturers.)
- Manufacturers want 8-10 years to move to cleaner vehicle technology used in Europe today. They need to understand the worst situation today.
- Monitor air quality to smog alerts.
- Massively augment over public transportation system – Bus , Metro , footpath , cycle track.
- Car restraints – parking rates & fines for illegal parking /\.
- Increase no. of traffic police to curb illegal parking.
- Awareness among people.
Art. Ref. : A new vehicle for clean air – http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/a-new-vehicle-for-clean-air/
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