Diesel-powered vehicles emerging as major contributors to emissions in Himachal Pradesh: Climate-adjusted HDI Report

The report acknowledges the government’s efforts to replace diesel-powered buses with electric buses in the public transport sector, but comments that the pace of change is slow.

The report states, “Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) historically ran mostly on diesel-powered buses. Electric buses are now being slowly introduced. Private taxi operators, essential to tourism, mostly use diesel SUVs and vans for better mileage. Electric buses in Shimla and Manali are a good step, but adoption is slow. Apart from these, emission testing of private taxis is poorly enforced.”

Meanwhile, the first-ever Climate-Adjusted HDI Report also highlights that prominent tourist destinations, including Dalhousie, Khajjiar, Kullu, Manali, Shimla, Dharamshala, and McLeodganj, are witnessing rising emission hazards during peak tourist seasons due to the heavy influx of diesel-run vehicles. The concentration of such vehicles, coupled with traffic congestion and idling engines, significantly worsens air quality in these areas.

Citing data from the Himachal Pradesh Registration and Licensing Authority, the report states that the number of diesel-powered vehicles used in the construction sector increased from 6,000 in 2014 to nearly 10,000 in 2024 – marking a substantial 66 per cent rise over a decade. Notably, about 92 per cent of these vehicles are registered as goods carriers, underlining the construction sector’s heavy reliance on diesel-based transport and machinery.

Though the number of diesel-powered vehicles used for tourism, including buses, maxi-cabs, and motor cabs, fell from approximately 8,000 in 2014 to around 6,000 in 2024, there was an increase from the 2021 figure of 4,000. In the agriculture sector, the use of diesel-operated water pumps is on the rise. These pumps are increasingly used to lift water from rivers, streams, and groundwater sources – a shift attributed to declining rainfall patterns and drying natural springs, which have rendered traditional gravity-based irrigation systems insufficient.

The report identifies energy consumption in tourism and construction as a primary driver of emissions. Construction, it states, is an “energy-intensive activity”, heavily dependent on cement, steel, and diesel-powered machinery, each with high embodied carbon levels.

“Electricity demand in hotels and hospitality establishments also spikes during the tourist season. Since much of this electricity is generated from fossil fuels, it further increases the state’s greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint. According to the GHG Emissions Inventory (2012–13), about 53.56 per cent (2,756.84 Gg) of total CO₂-equivalent emissions from the energy sector were attributed to electricity consumption in industries, commercial institutions, and tourism facilities. Within the industrial sector alone, 95.3 per cent of the 5.57 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions were linked to cement production,” the report states.

Despite Himachal Pradesh being an energy-surplus state, the report highlights that power supply remains erratic and low-voltage in remote areas, forcing residents, hotels, and construction sites to rely on diesel generators and wood-burning as backup energy sources. The rising demand from rapid urbanisation and tourism, combined with inadequate planning and climate-related infrastructure damage, continues to encourage such emissions-heavy alternatives, the report notes.

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