The recent comments by Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority to ban all the private cars in Delhi to reduce air pollution if the air quality worsens is a baseless comment if research and findings from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur is to be believed. Banning cars or even implementing rules like Odd-Even does not affect the air-pollution as much as the pollution caused by road dust, pollution from construction, industrial pollution and the pollution caused by burning crops.
The findings claim that 56% of the particulate matter of up to 10 micrometres (PM10) and about 38% of PM2.5 comes from road dust and only 9% come from all categories of vehicles combined (not just cars!). Talking particularly about vehicles, the major chunk of air pollution comes from trucks and two-wheelers. Trucks and two-wheelers contribute to 46% and 33% respectively of PM10 and PM2.5 and only 10% comes from diesel-powered cars and SUVs which makes it less than 1% in the larger scheme of things. Over 75% of total cars and SUVs plying on Delhi roads are powered by CNG or petrol which do no emit PM pollutants at all.
Instead of banning cars, experts suggest getting water sprinklers and vacuum cleaners to clean the dust on the roads. Government bodies have failed to deal with roadside constructions or dealing with farmers around the Haryana, Punjab and UP around the tradition of burning crops which is the bigger reason of the poor air quality in Delhi during winters.
There is no strict action taken against old commercial vehicles entering Delhi NCR. Emission by scooters and bikes may be less than cars in principle but since a number of two-wheelers plying on the Delhi roads is more than double of cars the cumulative emissions is much higher. Earlier the Supreme Court of India directed Delhi Government to keep two-wheelers out of the Odd-Even Scheme in Delhi. Delhi Transport Department or Delhi Metro does not have enough capacity to handle the extra burden on public transport.
Whether it was the ban of 2L diesel-powered vehicles in Delhi/NCR or the Odd-Even Rule or now the threat to ban private cars, it has always been easy for the government-owned institutions to put the blame on cars and the auto industry and not really any more initiatives are taken against the powerful lobby of construction/ or in terms of infrastructure to reduce air pollution.
