Fewer new vehicles in 2017 helped clean air: Sisodia

NEW DELHI: A drop in purchase of vehicles and consumption of diesel along with a range of other measures enforced by the Delhi government helped to clean up the national Capital’s air in 2017, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said on Wednesday.

Hindustan Times had first reported on December 29, 2017 that Delhi’s air was comparatively cleaner in 2017 than what it was in 2016.

Data earlier released by the Central Pollution Control Board had said that the number of days when air pollution in Delhi was ‘severe’, ‘very poor’ and ‘poor’ had dropped over the past one year. On the other hand, number of days with ‘good’, ‘satisfactory’ and ‘moderate’ air quality had gone up.

“Decrease in consumption of diesel and lesser number of new vehicles purchased in 2017 is a clear indication of awareness displayed by Delhiites towards controlling air pollution,” said Siso- dia. dia

He said that while consumption of diesel has reduced by 16% from 15.08 lakh metric tonnes in 2015-16 to 12.67 lakh metric tonnes 2016-17, for the first time, Delhi has also seen a significant drop of 11% in the registration of new vehicles from 8.8 lakh in 2015-16 to 7.8 lakh in 2016-17.

Latest CPCB data shows that in 2017 the level of both PM10 and PM2.5 dropped marginally for the first time since 2013.

Sisodia also said that the improvement in air quality is also the cumulative effect of various judgments and directions issued

by courts.

“The government thanks the courts for several progressive judgments over the past few years such as banning the use of 10-year-old diesel vehicles, ban on highly polluting fuels like furnace oil and pet coke in industries and levy of environment compensation charge (ECC) on trucks entering Delhi,” he added. Other measures such as the implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan under which diesel generators were banned during winter months, crackdown on garbage burning and increasing green cover have also helped.