Delhi to hire 1,000 buses to augment DTC fleet

PM10 IS PARTICULATE MATTER WITH A DIAMETER OF 10 MICROMETERS OR LESS AND IS INHALABLE INTO THE LUNGS

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government will hire 1,000 private buses to augment the public transport fleet and curtail the use of private vehicles so as to reduce vehicular pollution and improve the city’s air quality, which has remained “very poor” or “hazardous” since Diwali (November 4).

Transport minister Kailash Gahlot held a meeting on Tuesday with private transporters to get them on board with the plan. “In order to curb vehicular pollution, the people of Delhi are requested to shift from personal vehicles to public transport. With a view to augment public transport, the Delhi government is in the process of hiring around 1,000 private buses for a period of one month,” he said after the meeting.

The air quality in Delhi went back into the severe zone after remaining in the very poor zone for two days. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recordings, the average air quality index of Delhi on Tuesday was 403, in the severe zone. On Monday, the AQI was 353, categorised as very poor.

According to the affidavit submitted by the Centre before the Supreme Court on Monday, 28% of the city’s PM2.5 levels during winters is contributed by the transport sector.

The contribution of vehicles to the PM10 level is around 24%, the affidavit said. Delhi has more than 10 million registered vehicles and thousands more enter or pass through the national capital every day. Compared to that, the city has only about 6,700 buses (Delhi Transport Corporationrun buses and privately operated orange cluster buses).

PM10 is particulate matter with a diameter of 10 micrometers or less and is inhalable into the lungs. PM2.5 is finer particles which can even enter the bloodstream, according to health experts.

These particles are the primary pollutants in the capital’s air. Gahlot also announced that owing to the improved Covid-19 situation and to control pollution from private vehicles, the government has moved a proposal before the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) to allow standing passengers on buses and the Delhi Metro.