STUDY OF EMISSIONS AND AIR QUALITY IN DELHI IN CONTEXT OF VARIOUS POLICY MEASURES

Abstract

Human and environmental exposure to air pollution is a major challenge, and an issue of global concern for public health. Impacts of air pollutants are changing in their nature, scope and regional distribution. Air pollution has decreased in some cities in different parts of the world through a combination of technology improvement and policy measures. However, increasing human activity is offsetting some of the gains. Rapid growth in energy demand, transport and other forms of fossil fuel consumption continue to result in air pollution, and are responsible for unprecedented absolute growth in anthropogenic GHG emissions (EEA, 2005). Air pollution is viewed as the most serious problem in many cities in India. The Indian capital Delhi is an instructive location for impact of air pollution in an urban area since it is a rapidly expanding centre of government, trade commerce and industry. According to White Paper (MOEF), vehicular pollution contributes to 64% of the total, pollution in Delhi in 1991 and 70% in 2000-2001 and the power sector contribute to 16% of the total air pollution (Goyal and Sidhartha, 2004). The major emissions from the buses and the goods vehicles are NOx and PM. The major emission from the transport sector contributes to the emission of CO (60%) the contribution to the emission of HC and NO„ are 25% and 13% respectively. The major emission from the power plant contributes to the emission of CO2 the contribution of CO2 in the total emission from the power sector is 98%. The study calculation shows that the major contributors to the emissions for the transport sector are two wheelers (45%- 2001 and 48%- 2006) and the private passenger cars (39%- 2001 and 38%- 2006). Emission of CO, HC and NOx is increasing from two wheelers. Similarly the increasing trend among the CO and HC can be seen as far as the contribution of auto rickshaws is considered. The major emissions from the buses and goods vehicles are that of NOx and PM. The emissions from the various power plants other than Pragati gas station are continuously increasing from 2002-03.