Pollution may have scaled down a little in the city, but that8217;s not enough reason to cheer, considering the innumerable other measures that still need to be taken. But the Delhi Government8217;s switch from inaction to action, via the Environment Pollution Prevention and Control Authority EPA, an autonomous body set up last year, appears to have been a good move, given that a very active and low-profile EPA has been steadily at work. EPA Chairman Bhure Lal seems satisfied with the progress, but says there are daunting challenges ahead. Excerpts from a conversation with ANUPREETA DAS:
The city has recently witnessed a drop in the level of air pollution. What do you attribute this to? Several factors are responsible for this. For instance, we recommended to the Supreme Court that all commercial vehicles over 15 years should stop plying on Delhi8217;s roads, since the older the technology, the more polluting the vehicle. Vehicles with two-stroke engines, which have minimum fuel efficiency are the most polluting up to 30 per cent of the fuel goes unburnt when these engines run. Delhi also went lead-free from September 1998, which has created healthier air. The EPA took up the issue of the sulphur content 0.5 per cent in diesel with the Ministry of Petroleum, and it has now been reduced to 0.25 per cent. Then, the stricter emission standards have also helped in reducing the pollution levels. But this is not enough. We have to do much more.
What are the other measures recommended by the EPA? We are seriously considering the proposal to let two-stroke engines run on cleaner and eco-friendly fuels like CNG, propane and LPG. At the same time, the technology of two and three-wheeler engines should be improved, and our ultimate, long-term objective is to make them electrically operated, which will mean zero emissions. We have suggested corrective action for the adulterated fuel that is often supplied to consumers. Two autonomous petrol, oil, lubricants checking labs will be set up in Noida and Gurgaon to monitor the quality of fuel. Any car manufacturer whose vehicle does not meet the emission standards will have to recall the vehicle at company cost. People with vehicles are also not aware of the need for preventive maintenance of their cars only when the car develops a fault do they take it to the garage. We are emphasising preventive maintenance and vehicle certification, where a car will be checked for all ills every year and will not be allowed to ply on the roads until it is fixed.
What is the EPA doing to address the issue of industrial effluents and sewage? It is a rather sordid story. From Wazirabad to Okh-la, untreated water from industrial plants is released into the Yamuna. Industrial effluents are very dangerous, and turn ground water arsenic if not treated. In Wazirabad, for example, there are acid pools all over, and the land is completely destroyed. We have instructed that 15 Common Effluent Treatment Plants CETPs be set up in the city, out of which only three are under construction. Much progress has not been made because of union problems from the industries, which are supposed to contribute 50 per cent of the CETP cost, and differences between government bodies associated with the project. In the matter of sewage treatment, Delhi8217;s existing capacity is 284 MGD, which is shared among roughly 30 Sewage Treatment Plants STPs. But 15 more STPs are under construction, which will take up the city8217;s sewage treatment capacity to 498 MGD. This is still only half of the total capacity needed, but we needed uninterrupted power supply for the running of theSTPs, otherwise decomposition of sewage will create even more pollution. Improvements in the existing STPs have also been made.
Medical waste, burning of garbage, etc. also cause pollution. What has the PA done about it? Seventy per cent of the pollution in Delhi is due to vehicular exhausts emanating from nearly 31 lakh vehicles, the reduction of which is our main focus. For this, cleaner technology and fuel have to go hand in hand. Then, about 13 per cent is generated by the three major power plants in the city 8212; Badarpur, IP Estate and Rajghat. These plants release a lot of fly ash in the atmosphere, which can severely damage the eyes. We have asked them to put fly ash to industrial use, since it can and has been used to make bricks, roads and bridges. Pollution from domestic sources, burning of garbage, etc. make up the remaining 17 per cent. The EPA has visited almost all the hospitals in the city and suggested ways of segregating and disposing infectious and non-infectious wastes. Where incinerators are not functioning properly, burning of waste releases smoke into the air. A lot of education is needed for doctors and attendants in the field of waste disposal.
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