Does odd-even rationing help? Past studies differ
NEW DELHI : Delhi will begin the third chapter of the odd-even road rationing arrangement from Monday.
Though the move has been introduced to bring down the toxic levels of pollution in the city, past experience shows this scheme has not yielded the desired results.
The odd-even drive was introduced by the Delhi government for the first time in January 2016. A study conducted by a team of scientists from Iitdelhi, Iit-kanpur, IITM-PUNE, CSIR and TERI had concluded that the first round could reduce the pollution levels in Delhi by just around 2-3%.
Only three pockets in the city – Najafgarh, Shalimar Bagh and Greater Kailash – registered around an 8-10% drop in pollution level.
Also, during the first round of road rationing scheme, vacations in nearly 4,000 schools across Delhi helped reduce the traffic load. School buses were roped in as public transport, which helped cater to commuters.
A similar study by researchers from Environmental Sciences and Biomedical Metrology Division at the National Physical Laboratory and JNU also said there was little effect of the road rationing scheme on Delhi’s environment.
Other studies, however, backed the scheme, saying it helped to bring down pollution levels.
Experts from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) suggested that as an “emergency measure”, the odd-even drive prevented air pollution levels from getting worse.
The biggest hurdle the state government is likely to face in the implementation of the scheme is the limited number of public buses in their fleet.
An analysis by CSE shows the city needs at least 11,000 buses, as against the 5,658 buses it has, to cater to its population. The government also added 837 private buses during the fortnight.
“In such a situation, Delhi needs to do everything in its power to control the present pollution levels. Even the smallest of action will make a difference,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy) at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).