Increase in number of vehicles raises pollution concerns, PMC points to green measures

According to the report, the number of new vehicles registered in the city last year was 2,55,757 compared to 1,69,552 in 2021, 1,49,235 in 2020 and 2,39,660 in 2019.

Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Covid-19, air pollution, pune air pollution, Pune news, Maharashtra government, Indian Express, current affairs

The number of new vehicles registered in the city last year was 2,55,757. File

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With the economy picking up pace and becoming like what it was before the outbreak of Covid-19, the air pollution in the city has increased as over 2.5 lakh new vehicles hit the road last year–slightly more than the pre-Covid situation in 2019, shows the Environment Status Report (ESR) for 2022-2023 released by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Wednesday.

According to the report, the number of new vehicles registered in the city last year was 2,55,757 compared to 1,69,552 in 2021, 1,49,235 in 2020 and 2,39,660 in 2019. The total number of vehicles in the city now stands at 35,94,132. “That economy is back to normal after Covid-19 is reflective in the number of new vehicles hitting the roads. However, the good thing is that all these vehicles are BS-VI compliant, which means they create less pollution,” said Mangesh Dighe, environment officer of PMC.

The report states the PM10, PM2.5, NO2, CO particles in the air have increased in the city compared to the last three years.

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The PMC has an action plan to reduce air pollution by continuously monitoring the air quality, promoting registration of BS VI vehicles, subsidy for e-autorickshaws, constructing the Metro Rail and making provisions for buses running on green energy.

Dighe said although pollution levels have increased, he said it is comparatively low as the new vehicles are BS-VI compliant and most of the public tranport buses of the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) run on green energy.

“Around 90 per cent of the PMPML fleet runs on green fuel. There are 1,421 buses running on CNG, 458 are e-buses and only 200 buses are running on diesel,” said Dighe.

Ajay Jadhav

Ajay Jadhav is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, Pune. He writes on Infrastructure, Politics, Civic issues, Sustainable Development and related stuff. He is a trekker and a sports enthusiast. Ajay has written research articles on the Conservancy staff that created a nationwide impact in framing policy to improve the condition of workers handling waste. Ajay has been consistently writing on politics and infrastructure. He brought to light the lack of basic infrastructure of school and hospital in the hometown of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde even as two private helipads were developed by the leader who mostly commutes from Mumbai to Satara in helicopter. Ajay has been reporting on sustainable development initiatives that protects the environment while ensuring infrastructure development. ... Read More

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