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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Vehicular emissions in NCR rose 40% in 8 years
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Vehicular emissions in NCR rose 40% in 8 years

The share of emission of particulate matter caused by the industrial sector increased by as much as 48%

The transport sector is a leading source of PM2.5 emissions. Photo: Hindustan TimesPremium
The transport sector is a leading source of PM2.5 emissions. Photo: Hindustan Times

New Delhi: Emissions from the transportation sector have jumped by 40% from 2010 to 2018 in the National Capital Region (NCR), according to the latest emission inventory prepared by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, under the ministry of earth sciences.

The share of emission of particulate matter caused by the industrial sector increased by as much as 48% during the same period, though on a far smaller base, the study found. Also, this is largely in the border areas of NCR, according to the emission inventory.

The overall emission of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 across various sectors has increased by 15% over these eight years, the study found. PM2.5 and PM10 are considered major atmospheric pollutants. PM2.5, in particular, poses greater harm—the fine particles can easily be inhaled into the respiratory tract.

The transport and industrial sectors are both leading sources of PM2.5 emissions and account for 42.230 and 24.10 gigagrams per year, respectively, of total emissions, said the study.

“On one hand, there has been significant reduction in residential bio-fuel emission due to penetration of LPG connection in slums. On the other, the gains have been offset by the increasing pollution from transport sector, that too within Delhi city. The border areas contribute more to industrial pollution," said Gufran Beig, senior scientist at IITM Pune, who is also the principal author of the study.

The share of residential bio-fuel emissions has decreased by 64% from 2010 to 2018 as a result of the increase in LPG connections provided under the Ujjwala scheme, the study said. Only 35% of city slums had LPG connections until 2010 and this figure increased to 95% this year, it added.

The increase in pollution from the transport sector could be because of a four-fold increase in the number of registered vehicles in Delhi in the last eight years, but the problem has been aggravated by the rise in number of car transport services, scientists highlighted.

“The vehicle kilometre travelled (VKT) of these commercial cars is nearly 1.45 lakh km per year, per car, while those of personal cars is roughly 15,000 km per year per car. So, the emission generated by them is also much more," said Beig, who is also programme director of the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) under the ministry of earth sciences.

The study found that nearly 1.1 million vehicles enter Delhi every day, as recorded at eight different entry points. Vehicles of other state plying on Delhi roads contribute nearly 40% to the total vehicle load. There is poor vehicle mileage and more emission.

Pollution related to municipal solid waste has, however, emerged as a new challenge to tackling air quality.

Increasing air pollution has become a major public health emergency, especially in Delhi, which records more than 130 poor air quality days every year.

The high resolution emission inventory was prepared after mapping local sources of eight important air pollutants, including PM2.5 and PM10, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, black carbon, organic carbon and volatile organic compounds across NCR.

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Published: 16 Oct 2018, 11:43 PM IST
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