‘Ban diesel vehicles during emergency’
NEWDELHI: The Environment Pollution Control and Prevention Authority (EPCA) report submitted to the Supreme Court called for additional emergency measures like temporary ban on diesel vehicles and stickers on vehicles reflecting their fuel and age so that based on levels of pollution, certain categories of vehicles can be prohibited on the roads.
Nearly 20% of cars in Delhi run on diesel. According to data provided by the transport department, as on December 31, 2016, over 6 lakh diesel vehicles are registered in Delhi out of a total 30 lakh vehicles on the road.
“Under BS-IV standards, diesel cars are allowed to emit three times more NOx (nitrogen oxides) than petrol cars. Particulate matter emission is not a problem for petrol cars. Diesel cars, however, emit as much as 5-7 times the particulate matter,” Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, Centre For Science and Environment, said.
Tail-pipe emissions from diesel vehicles are among the primary reasons for accumulation of NO2 and PM2.5 in the air. Nitrogen oxides also help in the formation of ozone which is equally harmful.
According to EPCA member Sunita Narain, they will discuss these measures with Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF & CC) and the CPCB task force. “More needs to be done. Ideas will have to be picked up from other countries. Cities like Paris, London and Stockholm have stickers for different types of vehicles, which are allowed on certain days depending on their make and whether they’re tamper-proof,” she said, adding that the decision on the recommendations will be taken by the MoEF.
Several countries, including China, France Britain and Norway, are working on plans to ban production and sale of diesel vehicles and have set target dates. The United Kingdom and France want to ban production of diesel vehicles by 2040. At least eight other countries have electric car sales targets in place to phase out fossil fuel-run cars.
The Supreme Court intro- duced a 1% cess on vehicles with diesel engines above 2,000cc making them costlier. And the NGT had ordered a ban on diesel vehicles older than 10 years.
Some experts, however, said diesel is not all that bad. According to S Velmurugan, senior principal scientist, Traffic Engineering and Safety Division, Central Road Research Institute, diesel vehicles emit less if properly maintained.
“There are 20-25% vehicles on Delhi roads running on diesel. Unless there are enough alternatives, a complete ban on these can’t be implemented, even though these pollute more. However, if there is a strict vigil on PUC, proper operation and maintenance is done and smoke density test is properly conducted, there is no question of higher emission,” Velmurugan said.