Delhi odd-even car formula a necessity
Pollution has been with Delhi and other metros for a long time. But for the occasional medical warning, media report, or environmentalists calling for steps to reduce pollution, life continued as before only that the haze, dust or fumes didn't go away despite cosmetic steps.
Diwali, pujas and marriages were celebrated with the usual pomp though people, especially children, coughed more than usual. A perfunctory visit for medical treatment, warnings against pollution, smog and dust were taken as commonplace, and life went on.
However, asthma and other allergies continually increased, but diminished among those fortunate enough to go to the hills or the seashore, until they went back to the pollution-making machine, the metropolis.
Grim warnings about the extraordinary levels of pollution in Delhi were multiplied with the division bench of the Delhi High Court describing the city as a "gas chamber". That shocked everyone, and things began to move, much faster than before.
Diesel is known to be very polluting compared with petrol. Earlier, the courts had intervened to change the fuel used in public transport, like buses, auto rickshaws and taxis from diesel to CNG. However, the number of diesel cars, especially SUVs, has gone up substantially in Delhi, adding to the pollution.
In the West and Singapore the prices for diesel vehicles are high, and some countries impose a diesel or environmental tax. But in India, diesel is subsidised for vehicles, when the original justification was to subsidise farmers' tractors, diesel water pumps and so on. So the urban elite is doubly subsided. The prices of its diesel vehicles are quite low by international standards, and its fuel is subsidised. That is why the number of diesel cars has increased rapidly, further increasing pollution. These must be phased out.
This applies to diesel generators as well. To overcome electricity failures or rationing, diesel generators are used by most shops, even the well-to-do ones and also in public offices. This should be banned. Either inverters or electrical backups should be used instead.
There should also be controls on how many air-conditioners should be switched on at one time in offices and homes. Power plants that do not have efficient precipitators should be shut down. The scheme to cut down the number of cars on the road, through the odd-even licence plate numbers with odd and even numbered cars allowed on alternate days, is a good one but will require more traffic police and other personnel to carry it through. It will have to be a joint effort between the Union and Delhi governments.
The Delhi roads were not built to accommodate this huge number of vehicles, which is increasing every day. There is no alternative to substantially increasing public transport. Not only buses but the metro system have to be expanded on a war footing.
Polluting vehicles that enter Delhi, including those in transit, must follow emission standards. Burning of paddy, waste and other polluting substances in neighbouring states like Haryana and Uttar Pradesh must be banned initially, to be followed by a countrywide ban.
Yes, this will cause some inconvenience, but for health and proper utilisation of resources this has to be done. Like in the West, India must opt for "green" sources of power like solar and wind energies. Awards should be instituted for all improvements reducing or eradicating certain types of pollution.
We have lived beyond our means in terms of environmental degradation. There is no alternative but to change lifestyles and avoid polluting energy. This will not be easy, but as developed countries have shown, if the government and public is resolute, it can be, and has been done.