Vehicular emissions contribute most to Delhi pollution: Report
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New Delhi: An analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) found that vehicular emissions are the biggest internal contributors to Delhi's pollution. The city is known for hazardous air pollution levels with PM 2.5 levels.
The Decision Support System (DSS) developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune analysed different sources of pollution for every alternate hour from October 24 to November 8, reported The Indian Express.
The contribution of biomass in air pollution was low before the festival but peaked post-Diwali said the report.
Executive director, Research and Advocacy, CSE, Anumita Roychowdhury said that if the number of vehicles was half during the study period, the pollution level would be less than 50-32%. The contribution of household pollution ranked next with 12.5-13.5%.
A regional, integrated, multi-sector plan for the NCR and beyond is needed. This will have to be enforced with a very stringent compliance strategy, she added. Peak hours in Delhi are usually between 6 pm and 8 pm. The team looked at Google Map data for 15 major roads in Delhi and the travel time and speed.
The industry and construction contributed 9.9-13.7% and 6.7-7.9% respectively. Waste burning contributed 4.6-4.9% and road dust contributed 3.6-4.1%. Pollution in the NCR declined during the smog episode after Diwali.
Nitrogen dioxide levels also increased with traffic congestion. On November 5, the NO2 level was close to 70 µg/m3 between 6 pm and 7 pm, up from a figure close to 40 µg/m3, between 2 pm and 3 pm, reported The Indian Express.
Delhi has constantly recorded "very poor" air quality and above 300, which is considered "hazardous or severe".
