Horn, OK, Please: STOP Vehicular pollution

What causes vehicular pollution?

Type of pollutants emitted by automotive vehicles depending upon the type and quality of fuel consumed by them. Release of pollutants include fugitive emissions of the fuel due to inefficient use of the vehicle by way of poor maintenance, poor driving practices, wrong vehicle selection, traffic congestion, etc. The source & level of emissions also depends upon the vehicle type, its maintenance, wear and tear due to age, etc. 

Major pollutants released are, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, photo chemical oxidants, & toxins like benzene, aldehydes, 1-3 butadiene, lead, particulate matter, hydrocarbon, oxides of sulphur & polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Predominant pollutants in petrol vehicles are hydrocarbons & carbon monoxide. Predominant pollutants from diesel vehicles are Oxides of nitrogen, Oxides of sulphur & particulates. 

People presume CNG is cleaner since it does not leave a visual smog. However, a CSIR study shows CNG-run vehicles emit dangerous nano carbon particles which can cause cancer. The better alternative is to switch to hybrid cars & electric cars. But for that the appropriate infrastructure should be set in place in terms of renewable energy and bio-fuel production either through corporate intervention in the sector or government venture or ventures in PPP mode.

How are humans affected?

• Carbon Monoxide: 

1. Affects cardio vascular system, 
2. May affect pregnancy & fetuses, 
3. Affects the sick, anemic people & young children, 
4. Affects nervous system impairing physical coordination, vision & judgments, c
5. Causes nausea & headaches, 
6. Reduces productivity & increasing personal discomfort.  

• Nitrogen Oxides:

1. Increased susceptibility to infections, 
2. Pulmonary diseases, 
3. Impaired lung function,
4. Eyes, nose & throat irritations. 

• Sulphur Dioxide: 

         Damages & affects lung function

• Particulate Matter and Respirable Particulate Matter:

1. May be toxic in itself or may carry toxic (carcinogenic) trace substance, 
2. Can alter the immune system,
3. Penetrates deep into the respiratory system irritating lung tissue & causing long-term disorders.  

• Benzene: 

1. Both toxic and carcinogenic,
2. Excessive incidence of leukemia (blood cancer) in high exposure areas have been noted. 

• Hydrocarbons: Potentially cause cancers.

• Lead: 

1. Impairs liver and kidney, 
2. Causes brain damage in children lowering I.Q., 
3. Causes hyperactivity & reduced ability to concentrate. 

When is it at its worst in Delhi?         Winter

Why is air-pollution worse in winter in Delhi?

Air quality and pollution differs not just in different seasons, but also varies by type, time of day and day of the week. Stagnant air may explain why pollution levels vary less widely over the day in winter than in spring. Warm rising air normally moves pollution out, so the average pollution at ground level follows more closely the profile of polluting activities throughout the day.

During the afternoon when people are at work, it drops, only to rise again with the evening rush hour. Vehicular Pollution corresponds with peaking and dropping of AQI numbers through the day. It stays relatively high overnight, likely due to the practice of heavy vehicles trucking goods, not only in & out but through Delhi.

How can we pollute less?

Potential Solutions:

1. For Citizens:

• Burn less fuel:

1. Next time you purchase a vehicle, buy the most fuel efficient vehicle that meets your average daily needs. If a larger vehicle is needed for longer trips or larger capacity use on special occasions, rent or borrow one. 
2. If you have a vehicle, you do not need to stop using it entirely, you just need to use it smartly & sensibly.
3. If you have more than one vehicle, use the most fuel-efficient and practical one possible & potentially dispose off the rest.
4. If you do not have more than one vehicle, do not buy another till the current one is ready to retire.
5. Use public transport like buses & metro or car-pool as often as you can. Doing so three times a week at least can reduce your fuel consumption up to 50%.
6. Only use the vehicle on long trips, in harsh weather or when maximum people can use it or when absolutely necessary.
7. If just one person or two is to travel switch to public transport, shared taxis or cabs or carpool
8. If the distance is short switch to walking, cycling or taking local public transport preferably battery operated or fuel efficient or using cleaner fuel.
9. Ensure vehicles owned are checked at timely intervals and have their servicing done to ensure efficiency.

• Burn fuel cleaner:

1. Accelerate gradually to ensure fuel gets used up optimally.
2. Keep your vehicle well-tuned and tires inflated properly to reduce exhaust emissions.
3. Combine errands into one trip, a warmed up car pollutes less and is more efficient.
4. If you purchase a new car, look for a low emission vehicle (LEV) meeting the latest in emission standards.
5. Turn the vehicle off instead of keeping it running at traffic lights. Avoid idling — idling exhaust contains more pollutants than running exhaust as fuel does not burn as efficiently and fuel is wasted. 
6. In the case of Delhi ban of vehicles of any type over 10 years (since they pollute the most after) might be good.

• Burn cleaner fuel:

1. Low-sulfur fuel reduces pollutants by 10-15%.
2. Ethanol blend fuels can be used in flexible fuel vehicles making for efficient and judicious use of fossil fuels (from 15-85%).
3. Other alternative transportation fuels such as natural gas a bio-diesel, CNG, solar/batter powered etc. are most practical for fleets of vehicles and for short distances.

• Flexibility: 

1. Telecommute by working/holding meetings from a home office via phone or Internet if possible to reduce driving and save on travel time & exposure to external pollution.
2. Ask at work if the times for work are flexible so you can commute by public transport or shared transport during off peak hours.
3. Minimize driving by living close to work & other daily life amenities like post office, market, bank, public transport terminals etc. Best if accessible by walk or cycle.

2. For Government:

• Rewards:

1. Make metros cheaper & more connected.
2. Ensure further metros are all built underground and not above ground where they would be an eyesore and would reduce rate of corrosion from over ground exposure to elements.
3. Increase frequency of metro movement on busy routes and during peak hours making peak hour travel cheaper.
4. Make electric eco -friendly, or hybrid vehicles more accessible for public transport within the city. 
5. Make registration of electric, or hybrid vehicles easy. 
6. Make bicycles tax exempt & aid setting up of bike manufacturing, assembly & sales at government discounted rates.
7. Make bicycle tracks & parking easily accessible across the city.
8. Increase number of public buses and bus routes.
9. Increase the number of private players in the cab business in the city and set stringent rules and regulations and the minimum chargeable or standard chargeable rate for shared vehicles.
10. Digitize RTO, link RTO records, drivers license to Aadhar.
11. Track all commercial, private passenger & public transport vehicles & ensure they ply in compliance with all road safety & PUC norms.
12. Set up docking terminals outside the city limits so heavy goods vehicles do not ply through the city. This way goods can be unloaded & dispersed into the city in smaller more fuel efficient vehicles.
13. Ensure heavy freight vehicles are regularly checked for weight as per load capacity, air in tyres, safety checks, PUC checks and are tracked real time on digitized RTO system.
14. Create exclusive freight multi-corridors bypassing the city so heavy goods vehicles do not have to enter the city to go beyond it.
15. Set up out of city parking facilities for out of city vehicles so people can park & take public transport for their city commute.
16. Raise the rate for application for new license & renewal of license.
17. Make driving test mandatory on an annual basis including a written & driving test along with medical test (blood, urine, stool, ENT, general fitness) & sobriety tests.
18. Make public transport more user friendly to elderly, women, children & disabled people.
19. Ensure standards are moved as soon as possible to Bharat Stage VI or Euro 6 norms prior to 2020.

• Restrictions:

1. Make car parking more expensive especially in busy parts of the city.
2. Make PUC checks more stringent and regular, with heavy fines on non-compliance.
3. On breaking of traffic rules, for those over 21, make punishment stringent- fine up to third minor offense, suspension of license up to 6 months after up to 6th mistake, cancellation of license on serious offense with a gap of 3 years before reapplication for license for commercial freight & passenger vehicles.
4. Make the fine on illegal parking and other minor offenses more hefty & make towing and ticketing an aggressive practice.
5. Raise minimum age for driving to 21. Offenders who break the rule are to not be issued a new license for 5 years or until they attain the the age of 21, whichever happens last. 
6. Phase out the sale of commercial and passenger vehicles even two-wheelers in India that do not meet the latest Bharat VI Euro 6 norms within the next 6 months.
7. Phase out all Bharat III and Euro Standard 3 vehicles from plying in the city from 2019.
8. Phase out the use of diesel cars in Delhi after 2018-19.
9. Implement NO Car Weekends on Saturday and Sunday in prime areas of Delhi.

- Joseph T. Varghese, Author & Managing Trustee, KEYS Trust

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(Statutory warning: This blog post by no means is an exhaustive list of what can be done to deal with vehicular pollution in Delhi. This is a representation of views & ideas that came forth from the author that could be explored for viability. It is based on the limited research, deliberation & understanding of the author who suffers from the after-effects of air-pollution in Delhi. The images used are not owned by the author or KEYS Trust and belong to their original sources and are merely used for education & visual representation purpose.This by no way means the author is an expert & any flaws in the content in terms of correction, omission or additions may be kindly excused & communicated to the author by way of email to: keystrustindia@gmail.com)